Light's True Darkness
by winterk723
Summary: Everyone has heard the story of Peter and Wendy, but not like this. When Wendy is whisked away to Neverland, what she finds is nothing like the fairy tales she told her brothers. Shadows are consuming everything and the island is dying, including the king that rules it. Will Wendy save everyone in time? Or will Neverland and it's ruler fall to the darkness forever?
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Notes: Hello everyone! I am so excited to finally be writing this! This idea has been in my head for awhile and I tried to write it the first time around, but I didn't like how it turned out so I stopped writing. But, I am trying it again and I am sooo excited! Warning: this is very loosely based on Once Upon a Time. Everything you will read here is my own idea, I just used some of the characters! Also, I rated this fanfic Mature just to be on the safe side...so you have been warned! Anyways...I hope you enjoy! Here we go!**

**Chapter 1**

He stood at the edge of the world, gazing out into the sweet oblivion in front of him. It was all his. His for the taking. He would have control of the entire world and all that lived upon its surface. No one would dare challenge his rule. He would be king.

And as he stood at the precipice, he could see his eternal reign span out before his eyes. Millenia after millenia of unlimited power. It would be glorious.

No one would dare challenge him. And if a soul were to be as foolish as to do so, he would crush them with a mere wave of his hand. He was king. And nothing would change that.

* * *

London, 1914

The honk of an automobile horn could be heard outside the nursery window. The sun was beginning to rise as the bustling city awoke, ready to start yet another day of work. Within the nursery however, one would find no such movement. All three beds were motionless and all three children within were sleeping a deep sleep. Dreams swirled around their heads. Dreams of scraggly pirates with hooks for hands. Dreams of savage Indians with beads in their hair. Dreams of beautiful mermaids with shimmering tails. These were truly the dreams of children.

To be young and innocent was a blessing. To be an adult and mature was a curse. There were bills to be paid, work to be done, responsibilities to be considered. Yes, to be grown up was awful. But such thoughts did not trouble the three children still nestled tightly amongst the bed sheets. They were in their own world of imagination, clinging on to whatever little time they had left before they were forced back into reality filled with troubles.

A knock at the nursery door could be heard. The children did not stir as a large dog wearing a bonnet walked into the room. It was a curious thing that a dog could knock on a door, but the children did not dare question it.

The dog walked to the window and grabbed the curtains by its teeth, flinging the fabric out of the way to let the bright sunlight pour into the room, bathing everything in a golden glow. The children still did not stir. The dog huffed to itself in a way of irritation. It walked to the first bed, yanking the bed sheets away and exposing a small boy sleeping peacefully with a thumb between his teeth. The dog moved onto the second bed, moving the sheets away to find a larger boy than the first curling around a wooden sword. Finally, the dog moved to the opposite side of the room, to the largest bed. Inside it slept a beautiful young lady, no more than sixteen.

The dog found no need to yank the bed sheets away this time. For when the sunlight poured down onto the girl from the open window, she awakened, her eyes fluttering open to peer up at the golden light. A smile graced her lips at the warmth now seeping into her. She cast her gaze downwards at the large dog in front of her head. "Hello Nana," she greeted pleasantly, her voice like the tinkling of bells. The dog looked up at the beautiful young lady and huffed as its way of greeting. When it noticed that the other two boys were now stirring, it walked briskly out of the room, it's first task of the day now done.

The young lady slid out of bed, moving around the room with an unnatural grace. "Good morning, John. Good morning, Michael," she sang to her two brothers. Both were still rubbing their eyes and squinting at their older sister blearily, having never been early risers themselves. "Good morning, Wendy," they both mumbled to her.

Wendy smiled and hummed a simple tune to herself as she moved about, getting ready for the start of another beautiful day in the great city of London.

* * *

When she walked downstairs with her two brothers traipsing behind her, she was met with the smell of fresh brewed coffee and the sound of pleasant conversation. "Good morning, Mother. Good morning, Father." She greeted her parents like she did every morning: with a bright smile painted on her face.

Her mother who stood by the stove, cooking breakfast for the family, turned around and returned the greeting. Her father looked up from his newspaper, and smiled brightly at his beautiful daughter. He once again buried his head in the paper, a small crinkle forming between his eyes. Wendy instantly noticed this. "Is something the matter, Father?"

John Darling was a family man. He made sure that he provided for his wife and children as best he could. He also protected them. Which is why he immediately snapped the newspaper closed and brushed off Wendy's question. "Nothing to concern yourself with, my dear."

Wendy thought nothing of it and moved about the kitchen, busying herself with helping her mother cook breakfast. She was oblivious of the shared look that passed between her mother and father. It was a look of concern. Of fear. But Wendy and her two brothers were unknowing of this look, and thought that today, like everyday, would be peaceful and happy.

When everyone sat down at the kitchen table, pleasantries were exchanged. It was something that the Darling family did everyday. They would sit down and eat together. They would take this time out of their busy schedules to spend time with each other.

Wendy loved her family. Looking around the table, she loved her father and mother, both who ensured that she was well cared for and attended the most prestigious preparatory school for girls in London, even though the cost was expensive. She loved her brothers, who never ceased to grow bored of listening to her stories of pirates and mermaids and Indians and played with her into the late hours of the night. She loved her family, and if everyday was like this one, she would never have a need to complain.

When they had finished their morning meal, everyone went about getting ready for the day ahead of them. Wendy and her brothers prepared for school, while their mother and father prepared for their day of work.

When it was time to leave, their parents sent their children off with a kiss on each of their foreheads to let them know that they were loved deeply.

John and Mary Darling watched as their children left for school, unknowing that that was the last time that they would ever see their children.

* * *

The room was dark, save for the flickering light of the candle that cast shadows throughout the small space. The boy stepped inside the room, uncaring of the danger that lay within or the dark figure that lurked in the corner.

The figure did not acknowledge the boy's presence. The boy cleared his throat after several tense moments of silence. "It's getting worse. Soon, we will be overrun with them." The figure did not speak, just continued to glare at the boy, but the boy persisted. "We need to do something and fast. Otherwise, there will be nothing left of this place." The figure lurched forward, surprising the boy as he took several steps back.

The fury written on the face that stood in front of the boy was enough to terrify any grown man. The boy flinched as a voice, harsh and unforgiving, was heard in the darkness of the room. "You forget your place. _I _am king. Do not dare to question me again. I won't be as forgiving the next time around."

The boy bowed his head and left, leaving the dark figure to lurk in the shadows.

**Author's Notes: Okay, so I know this wasn't the most exciting chapter, but think of this as a prologue to the good stuff coming up! I am actually really excited to write this next chapter! It is going to be action packed! So buckle up, this is gonna be a long ride! I am begging you all to please read and review! I love to hear what everyone thinks and it motivates me to write faster! So if you guys really wanna know what happens next, write to me and I promise I will get the next chapter out as fast as possible! Until next time!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Notes: Hi everyone! So I thought I would get this chapter out before it got really busy for me. I really loved writing this and I hope you guys enjoy it!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the OUAT characters, however the story is entirely my own : )**

**Chapter 2**

It was midmorning when the bombing started.

At first, none of the students nor faculty knew what was happening. They had not been prepared for something like this. Wendy was sitting at her desk, taking notes as she should, when they heard it. First, there was the humming of the engines, like a swarm of bees buzzing to life, the sound growing louder and louder as the planes grew closer. A few of the girls lifted their heads towards the window, temporarily ignoring their teacher in order to chance a glimpse at what could be making that awfully loud noise. As the planes drew nearer, even the teacher stopped. The girls got out of their seats and rushed to the window, their faces and hands pressed against the glass.

Then came another noise. A whistling of sorts. It was low and soft, but soon it grew louder and higher in both pitch and volume. Some girls cried and put their hands to their ears in an attempt to block out the deafening sound. Then one by one, more whistles came. Everyone desperately searched the skies to see what was happening, than one girl pointed towards something small and black in the distance. Than another, then another, until the entire sky was filled with small, black dots.

None of the girls knew what they were, but the teacher did. She started commanding girls to crouch underneath their desks and protect their heads, but it was no use. None of the students were listening to the ramblings of their teacher, for it was too loud to hear her anyway. They were all transfixed on the sky full of black dots as they fell closer to the ground. One of them, the first one to appear in the air, touched the surface, and that's when Wendy heard and saw the first explosion.

It shook the earth. The walls of their school trembled and quaked. Girls cried and shrieked as they saw the giant explosion of reds, oranges, and yellows erupt in the distance. They could see the black, billowing smoke rise to the heavens. The noise was ear-piercing.

Girls clapped their hands over the ears in a vain attempt to stop the ringing that was no doubt sounding in their heads. Tears streaked down faces, wails filled the classroom, and the distinct smell of urine wafted in the air as no doubt some girls were wetting themselves. Than the second black dot hit the ground. Than the third, and the fourth, and so on. One after the other, each black dot erupted, and cleaved the earth in two until there was nothing left but enormous holes in the surface and smoke spiraling into the sky.

Wendy stood there. She did not cry. She did not scream. And she did not cower. She simply stood staring at the window as her world literally came crashing down around her and the only thing that surfaced in her mind was her family. Were they safe? Did they find shelter? Did one of the explosions go off where her parents were working? Wendy knew her brothers were alright for the moment, for their school for boys was only down the street. They would be safe for now. The same could not be said for her parents. And as Wendy stood at the window, a pit settled in her stomach, making her dizzy with worry.

The teacher was trying to calm the girls and direct them out of the classroom. But where would they go? They were not prepared for this. No one was. London had never seen so much destruction in all its years of existence. The city was unprepared for this. Wendy was unprepared for this.

One of her classmates grabbed her arm to steer her towards the exit. Wendy was in such a state that she could not even identify the face of the girl who grabbed her and was now leading her to the other classmates who were now joining the mass of girls flooding the hallways. They were being led to the basement of the school. It was strictly prohibited for students go down there, but Wendy supposed that desperate times call for desperate measures.

When she reached the bottom step, she saw hundreds of girls and teachers cowering together in the dim lighting. Some had rosary beads clutched within their hands and their eyes shut tightly as their mouths moved rapidly, praying silently for mercy, while others clutched each other, saying goodbyes to their friends, should something happen. The smell of sickness and urine filled Wendy's nostrils and her nose turned up at the scent. Every so often another thunderous rumble would shake the foundation and girls would cry out, holding each other tightly as the already dim lights would shake and flicker.

The principal could be seen from a distance. The older woman stood in the center of the mass and was shouting something to everyone. Wendy strained her ears to listen.

"...safe. Other schools in the surrounding area do not have an underground storage space. We are as safe as we can be. We must pray for those who…"

Wendy had stopped listening. A cold shiver ran down her spine. _Her brothers._ Their school is older than the one she is attending. They most definitely do not have a basement to hide in to avoid the explosions. Were they safe? Where did they go? Wendy felt her heart pounding inside of her chest, straining to get to her brothers. She did not think, she simply acted.

She began shoving through the crowd, not particularly caring if she elbowed a girl here or there. She pushed towards the metal doors at the front of the crowd. As she drew closer to the exit, more people began to notice her movements. Some shouted and pleaded with her to stop. A few even grabbed ahold of her arm in order to keep her in the relative safety of the underground storage unit, but she shook them off with ease. Wendy had only one concern in mind and that was getting to her brothers. When she finally reached the metal doors and pushed them open, the principal was upon her, grasping her hand firmly.

"Stop, child!" She shrieked. "If you go up there, you will most certainly perish!"

Wendy paid the old woman no mind. She yanked her hand free, and darted through the doors, running up the stairs as fast as her aching legs would allow. As she reached the first floor of the school, she saw to her horror, that the walls and ceilings were riddled with cracks. If someone were to merely blow lightly on one of the walls, it looked as though the whole school would collapse in on itself.

Wendy ran down the halls, nearing the main entrance of the building that would take her closer to her brothers. As she sped by classroom after classroom, she saw notebooks and papers littered the floors, even desks and chairs toppled over. Every minute or so, there would be a deafening explosion followed by tremors throughout the school, sending Wendy stumbling into the already cracked walls. She did her best to avoid tripping over any of the papers that were scattered across the floor, as she neared the entrance of the school. She almost cried in relief as she pushed the doors open. But that relief was quickly replaced with horror as she saw the state of her once beautiful city.

London was in ruins. Blazing fires raged everywhere and thick, black columns of smoke billowed up into the sky for miles. The once clean cobblestone streets were blown apart, now replaced with sizeable craters. The air itself reeked of ash and burning flesh, a smell that Wendy hoped to never have to endure again. The repulsive scent turned her stomach and she felt bile rising in her throat.

She carefully made her way along the street-if one could even call it that. The once pristine buildings were long gone and in their place were piles of brick and debris. The trees that lined the road were on fire, their green leaves now blackened and dead, disintegrating as they made their way to the ground. Glass littered the street and Wendy winced as she felt the shards cut into the soles of her shoes.

People covered in ash and dust ran past her in every direction. Some held dirtied rags to their mouths in a vain attempt to not inhale the smoke that was filling the streets. Some were hunched over and hobbling along, their arms clutching themselves while drops of blood dripped onto the ground, painting the street in red. And some, to Wendy's horror, were collapsed on the ground, their limbs bent in awkward angles and places of their bodies blackened to the point that they were unrecognizable.

Wendy raised her hand to her mouth to try and stop the sob that was about to escape her lips. She withheld the tears that wanted to stream down her face, for it would do no good in helping her find her brothers or aiding these people. She kept her head down and marched onwards, trying not to entertain the idea of her brothers looking like those people lying on the street did: broken, bloodied, and dead.

Her trek took much longer than she anticipated. On a normal afternoon when Wendy's school was dismissed, she would usually walk to her brothers' school to wait for them. Once she saw John and Michael coming down the stairs, she would wave to them and then the Darling children would all walk home together. But now, as Wendy made her way down the street, there was no happiness. There was no light. The only thing that was on the street was misery and death. It surrounded and filled Wendy until all she felt was this dread settling over her.

She walked a little faster, anxious to get to her brothers. For the most part, it seemed like the explosions had subsided. There was no roaring sound of engines or high pitched whistles, the only thing that could be heard was the crumbling of buildings and the moaning of injured.

Wendy almost collapsed into tears when she saw her brother's school still intact as she rounded a corner. She raced down the street and up the steps leading to the main entrance. When she pushed on the doors, she half expected them to be barred, but the doors gave way almost instantly and she rushed inside. Something was wrong. Very wrong.

As Wendy raced down the halls, she saw only empty and ruined classrooms. Papers scattered the floors and desks were overturned, not unlike the state of her own school. She grew more panicked as she encompassed the entire school and there was no sign of her brothers, let alone any life in general. It was as if every boy in the building had just disappeared, including her brothers.

Wendy racked her brain for any possible explanation as to how a hundred boys just vanished from the school. She thought that perhaps they fled, looking for any building with a basement to take shelter from the explosions. She raced back out onto the streets and started to walk up to anyone she saw, asking and pleading if they had seen where any of the boys from the preparatory school had gone. Most people blatantly ignored her, while others shook their heads. She was sure that she looked mad to the people she approached, with her hair a tangled mess, her face covered in ash, and her dress in tatters.

At some point, Wendy collapsed on a curb and rested her head on her knees with her arms wrapped around herself and cried. She cried simply because there was nothing left to do but cry. Her brothers were nowhere to be found and she did not even know if her parents were still alive. Wendy felt utterly useless as she sat there on a street corner with her world going up in flames around her.

It could have been minutes or hours when she finally picked her head up and wiped her eyes with the one clean spot on her dress. She almost wished that this was all a dream and that she was still in her soft bed and any second Nana would come in and start yanking the sheets off of her as her way of saying it was time to wake up. But of course, Wendy knew this was not the case as she looked around and still saw the fires blazing and heard the pained moans of people dying. But something caused her to still.

Wendy had the distinct feeling that she was being watched. Her shoulders tensed and the hairs on the back of her neck stood on end as she slowly turned her head to the side to see an old woman leaning against a building that hadn't collapsed yet. The old woman was hunched over and she war rags that hid her figure. The only thing exposed to the light was her face, and Wendy silently wished that this was shrouded in darkness as well.

The skin on her face was shriveled and pale. Her eyes were milky and her lips were cracked and split in some places. Her nose was long and pointed and her hair was scraggly and gray. When the old woman noticed Wendy's gaze, she smiled to reveal yellow teeth and Wendy involuntarily shivered. The woman raised a bony and wrinkled hand and curled a finger, beckoning her to come forward.

Wendy knew this was a terrible idea, quite possibly the worst one she has ever had, but she got up and walked cautiously towards the old woman, stopping about five feet away, not wanting to get any closer than that. The old woman cackled to herself as Wendy stood there hesitantly, not knowing why she approached this person to begin with. Wendy was in the middle of berating herself when the woman spoke.

"You want to know what's become of your brothers." It was not a question, and that alone terrified Wendy. How did this woman know what she was searching for John and Michael?

"Who are you?" she asked uncertainly, trying and failing to keep the trembling out of her voice.

The old woman continued, not bothering to answer Wendy's question. "You're brothers have been taken by _him_."

A shiver ran down her spine. This was not what Wendy was expecting to hear and certainly not what she wanted to hear.

"Taken? By who?" she demanded, determined to bring her brothers back home at any cost.

The old woman shook her head and then, faster than Wendy imagined could be possible, the old woman snatched her wrist, her bony and wrinkled hands snaking around Wendy's arm, her nails digging into ivory skin. "_He _has taken them. I fear there is no stopping him when he wants something."

"Who is he," Wendy's voice was growing louder, from frustration and anguish, she couldn't say. All she knew was that someone had her brothers and that she would get them back. "Where did he take them?"

It was at this moment when she heard the roaring of the engines. Wendy looked up to the sky to see that another wave of planes were now flying above them. She was struck with fear as she heard the familiar whistling and saw the black dots being released. She quickly turned to the old woman who was now hobbling away faster than Wendy expected and she panicked. "Wait who has my brothers? Where did he take them?"

The old woman did not stop running, but she did yell out behind her. Wendy strained to hear her voice over the roar of the engines and was able to make out what the woman was yelling.

"If you wish to find your brothers, seek out the shadow! He can take you to them! But remember, nothing is as it seems!"

Than she was gone and Wendy was left in a confused daze, but she had more important things to worry about. The whistles were getting louder, meaning explosions could not be too far behind. She quickly searched around for a shelter of any kind, but the only building still intact on the street was her brother's preparatory school. She made a quick decision and darted inside, closing the doors behind her, although it would not do much good against explosions that shook the earth.

As she entered the school, it was eerily quiet. Only the fluttering of papers could be heard as she made her way down the halls. It was as if she had entered an entirely different world. She could not even hear the whistling and roaring from outside. She wondered if she had imagined the entire thing.

Wendy picked her way cautiously through the dim halls, for the lights had gone out and now the only light in the building was the occasional light peeking out from where cracks and holes in the walls allowed slivers of sunlight to slip through. She didn't know what to do. All she had was the ramblings of an old woman speaking of shadows and she wasn't sure why she had trusted the old woman. She shivered as she remembered the tight grip the woman had on her wrist and her sharp fingernails digging into her skin. Wendy absentmindedly rubbed her wrist, as if though that would erase the touch of the old woman.

So lost in thought, Wendy failed to see something dart across the hallway and into a darkened classroom. Only when she heard the sound of a crash did Wendy look up. "Who's there," she called out hesitantly. She received no answer, only the rustling of papers and the scraping of chairs. Wendy slowly crept her way down the hall towards the dark classroom where she heard the loud crash. She had the sense to pick up a textbook that was forgotten on the floor and held it up in front of her as a makeshift weapon, her hands slightly trembling.

She stepped into the entrance, immediately embraced by darkness. There was no light in this classroom, not even from the broken windows-they had been covered up with wooden boards. Wendy heard another crash coming from the corner and she flung the textbook in her hands in front of her to shield whatever was lurking in the classroom. As she hesitantly peered around the textbook, Wendy saw something.

It was difficult to describe, for she had never seen anything like it before. It had the shape of a young man, but there was no actual man, just the shape. Instead of what should have been flesh and bones and skin, there was only a darkness that filled in the outline. It was not solid either, more like a gas that moved fluidly and was vaguely transparent. Wendy struggled to name the dark figure that stood before her, but the word that came to mind sent a cold shiver down her spine and her muscles tensed up. _A shadow._

That old woman had told her to find a shadow, and now here was one right in front of her. Wendy wasn't sure if she should be elated or terrified. If the woman was correct, than this shadow could lead her to her brothers. It the woman was wrong, than this shadow was a monster and could very well harm her. Although Wendy did not really know what a shadow could do to her, she felt little desire to stay and find out.

As the shadow peered at her and cocked his head to the side, Wendy dropped the textbook to the floor, a loud thud resonating throughout the halls and _ran._ She was not sure where she should run to. Could she even outrun a shadow? The answer became quite obvious as she heard a crash behind her. Wendy dreaded looking behind her, but eventually she could not resist. She looked over he shoulder and saw that the shadow had flung open the doors and was now _flying_ straight for her. It flew down the halls faster than what seemed physically possible. _Although_, Wendy thought, _it _is _a shadow. I doubt the laws of physics really apply here._

The shadow was getting closer and she was running out of places to run. It seemed as though things could not have gotten any worse until Wendy heard it. The roaring. Except this time, it was much louder. As though it were _right above her_. She felt the urge to scream in frustration, but there was nothing she could do as the whistling soon came, high in pitch and volume. And Wendy knew then that there was no escaping this. The explosion would be right here and no amount of running could save her from the huge blast that was about to occur in five seconds.

_Five. _Wendy stopped in the hallway. She didn't feel the need to continue running, when there was nowhere left to go.

_Four. _The shadow was getting closer and closer as she stood alone amongst the soon-to-be remains of a burning building.

_Three. _The whistling was penetrating the halls and her skull. The ringing in her ears was quite painful, but Wendy embraced it, for it would soon end.

_Two. _She silently prayed for her brothers and her parents. A single tear trickled down her cheek and a small smile graced her lips as she thought of only happy memories of her and her family. She hopes to see them again some day.

_One. _The shadow was upon her as the first explosion went off right above her head. Wendy saw things go in slow motion. She could see the first fires blazing above and around her and flinched, preparing herself for the pain that she would no doubt have to endure. Then she felt a warmth, but it was not the burning inferno that she expected with raging fire. It was more like lying in a grassy meadow with the sun's golden glow shining down on her. That was what this warmth felt like.

She hesitantly opened her eyes that she had not realized she closed and felt more than saw dark arms wrapped around her. They were not solid arms, but she still felt them. It was a faint whisper, a phantom, but Wendy had never felt so safe in her life as the shadow wrapped his body around her and lifted her off the ground, flying through the fire and into the night sky. Wendy saw the beautiful city of London burning below her before her eyelids grew heavy and she fell into a deep and dreamless sleep.

**Author's Notes: Wow! Wasn't that exciting? I am so pumped to start writing the next chapter but fair warning: it might take me some time. Summer is over and it's back to school for me. However, if you guys really do love this story and are anxious to see what comes next, please send me reviews! They always encourage me to create the best story possible and really fast too! Thank you so much for all of you that have read so far! Until next time!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Notes: Hey guys! Are you excited, because I am! Wendy's journey on Neverland begins and I can't wait for her and Peter to meet : ) Anyways... Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the OUAT characters, however the story is entirely my own.**

**Chapter 3**

Wendy was dropped in the middle of a vast ocean that stretched out for miles. When the cold waters surrounded her, her eyes snapped open and she began sputtering, her arms flailing wildly in order to stay afloat in the raging waves. She spun in her circles, searching desperately for a sign of land. The shadow that had carried her from the burning school was long gone, nowhere to be found and she was left paddling in the middle of an endless ocean.

It was just her luck. It seemed as though everything that could go wrong, has gone wrong, ever since she stepped outside her house that morning. Was it even the same day? Wendy couldn't be sure. So much had happened and she was unconscious for a time, but she couldn't think about that right now. She was just so tired. All she wished for was _land. _She just needed some sign of solid ground where she could collapse and close her eyes. Her arms and legs were aching and her school dress was too heavy and bulky in the water.

The ocean stretched on for miles around her and Wendy was so tempted to just let go and sink in the cool, calm abyss below. But her eyes caught something in the distance. It was a tiny speck that seemed to float on the horizon. _Land. _

Wendy struggled to stay afloat as she slowly made her way towards the small island she saw in the distance, but it was so far away and she was so very tired. Just when she thought her arms could not pull any longer, she felt something pulling her towards the island in the distance. It was as if something _wanted _her to be there and she had no strength to refuse as the current in the water dragged her body to the small island that was not so small anymore. As she drew closer, she realized that what she thought was tiny, was in fact, _massive._ When she finally washed up on the sandy shores, Wendy saw the most beautiful and exotic place she had ever seen.

Regaining stability in her legs, she turned in a slow circle to survey her surroundings. She was standing on a breathtaking beach. The pristine white sand beneath her feet was soft and warm and squished between her toes and she giggled at the sensation, having never actually traveled to a beach before. In London, there were no beaches, only cobblestone streets with automobiles, brick housing for miles around, and smog that billowed out of chimneys and painted the sky in a murky and dismal grey. Of course after everything that happened, the city she loved was probably in ruins, with dust and ash littering the streets, giant crates every hundred feet or so, and fires raging on for miles, painting the sky with red.

Now, looking out onto the sandy shore, Wendy smiles when she sees small, pink seashells baking in the hot sun. She spots one by her foot and leans down to examine it more closely. It's texture is smooth and soft, with small grooves running along its length. The color is a pale pink that fades from white to a dark rose, reminding her of the sunrise in the sky on a crisp winter's morning. She smiles to herself at the beautiful seashell and goes to put it in her pocket for safekeeping when she notices that her pocket is not where it usually is, sewed into her school uniform that she wears everyday. She looks down and notes her attire for the first time and is startled by what she is wearing.

Instead of her usual cotton knee-length school dresses with lace and ribbons at the collar and cuffs, she is wearing a white nightgown with lace trimmings around the hem that goes down to her ankles. The collar is cut lower than ordinarily acceptable, with a hint of her cleavage peeking out the top and she resists the urge to cross her arms over her chest to cover herself. The fabric feels like silk, and is slightly transparent. She is thankful that no one else seems to be around, otherwise her cheeks would be turning varying shades of red from utter embarrassment. Wendy looks down, and adorning her feet are exquisite satin slippers with small white bows perched on top.

She tentatively touches her hair and finds, with surprise, that instead of her usual top knot with a curl trailing over her shoulder, her hair has been brushed gently and it hangs loosely and freely around her head, natural curls springing back and forth.

Disregarding her outfit for the time being, she looks out onto the ocean once more and notices the tide has begun to creep closer, each wave sending white water nearer to where she stands. Not wanting to ruin the beautiful shoes, Wendy slips them off her feet and carries them, along with the pink seashell, in her hands. A thought crosses her mind and she bites her lip in hesitation, but finds herself unable to resist, having never been in the ocean before. She steps daintily into the warm water and gasps in surprise as it laps at her ankles, bathing her feet in a warmth so soothing and relaxing, all her tense muscles loosen. She waded in the shallows for a time, admiring the magnificent ocean in all its splendor.

The water is a cerulean blue and crystal clear, so clear that she can see straight to the sandy bottom. Along the ocean floor, there are all sorts of curious creatures that she has heard of but never seen. Small crabs scuttle across the sands, snapping their pincers as they go. Elegant jellyfish, the color of the moon, float gracefully past her, their bodies sparkling and transparent in the crystal waters. Fish of all shapes and sizes and colors swim around her feet. Some would be so bold as to wade towards her and caress her ankles, making her giggle from the delicate touch. Coral reefs paint the sandy bottom with millions of vibrant colors. Fish swim through the coral, weaving past the holes and crevices, as if they were playing a game of hide-and-seek that she used to do as a child with the other children in her neighborhood.

Wendy looks farther out into the ocean and sees to her utter delight sea turtles swimming and diving through the deeper waters. She becomes transfixed on them, having never seen the creatures before, and watches them for what seems like hours, smiling in amusement when every few minutes, they would bob to the surface and float on the waves, only to dive back down under the water.

Wendy walks back to the shore, letting the warm sand dry her wet feet and contemplates on what to do.

Hugging the beach for miles on the left and right side of her is a dense forest. The foliage is so thick that she cannot see more than a few feet into the tree lining. She shudders at the thought of what could be living within those trees. Crawling spiders, slithering snakes, and other frightening creatures she has heard of and would rather not see in person. Wendy huffs a breath. Unfortunately, hiking through the forest seems to be her only option.

_Michael and John would love this place_, she thinks. They have always loved to go exploring, even if it was only walking the grounds of the park. Another moment passes in silence before she comes to a sickening realization. _Michael! John! Where are my brothers? _She frantically looks up and down the beach and does not see another soul aside from her, although she wasn't really expecting to. She begins to panic as dreadful questions rattle around inside her head. What if her brothers are here, too? What if they need her? What if they are in trouble? The old woman that had confronted her on the street said that they had been taken, but that didn't give her much to go on.

Wendy takes a few breaths to calm her rapidly increasing heart rate. Not wanting to dwell on the possibility of her brothers being kidnapped or lost, should other unpleasant emotions arise, she slowly turns back to the looming forest in front of her. She can't place her finger on it, but there is something not quite right about that forest. It feels as though there is a powerful and dangerous presence that lurks in those trees and call it instinct, but she does not want to meet whatever is in those woods. However, as much as it scares her, she has to get off this beach. She can not stay and wait for someone, or _something_, to find her.

Wendy grits her teeth and repeats in her that her brothers need her, that she is doing it for them. So, with reluctance, she turns and takes the first few steps off the beach and enters the forest. But once her bare foot lands on the soft, mossy floor, she can no longer hear the crashing waves of the ocean. She turns around and is left in shock by what she sees, or rather what she doesn't see. The beach that Wendy was just standing on has completely disappeared, as if it had never existed at all and instead, there is only trees and ferns where sand and sea were a moment ago. Eyes wide and terrified, she turns back around and carefully navigates through the dense vegetation, slowly but surely entering into the belly of a beast.

* * *

Hours pass as she walks, but it feels like _days._ The forest is so thick that the sun barely breaks the dense foliage. Only the occasional ray of light beams down onto the ground, struggling to brighten the dark haze that surrounds this forest and the longer she walks, the more worried she becomes. Wendy has not seen any people or buildings or _anything_-just tall trees, thick grass, and dirt.

She has never been very comfortable being by herself, even in her own home. She was always around someone, either her brothers who she would pass the hours playing games with wooden swords and eye patches tied around their heads, or Nana who would curl up next to her while she was sleeping and console her when she was upset. Even Mother and Father would take time away from their busy lives and read to her and her brothers on the coldest of nights. They would take them to bed, tuck them under the covers so that the blankets were pulled up to their chins, and would take out a book and read to their children until their eyes grew weary and they fell asleep.

Wendy sighs. The memories of her family forms a pit in her stomach that never seems to go away, it sits there and gnaws at her insides, making her worry about the outcome of her brothers and parents. To make matters worse, her throat is parched, as though she were swallowing sandpaper. She desperately needs water soon before she faints. And her stomach is starting to rumble from the lack of food for several hours. Not ever having been much of an athlete, Wendy is not used to this much exertion and her legs feel as though they might collapse any second now from supporting her weight for this long without a rest.

She continues to trudge through the never ending forest until she glances to the side and notices, with relief, a fallen tree a few paces to the right of her. She does not waste any time in falling down onto the hard surface. She is gasping and wheezing for several minutes and can feel perspiration trickling down her neck. For once, she is grateful that the nightgown is so thin, otherwise, she would have fainted from the heat long before now.

Her breathing returns to a normal pace and she finally takes the time to recollect her thoughts and figure out what to do, but her concentration is diverted when she glances at the forest that surrounds her. For the first time, she notices the beauty that is within these woods and is in awe, despite her earlier hesitations. Fresh dew drops collect upon a silky spider web and twinkle in the golden rays peeking through the leaves. A small family of rabbits with white, fluffy tails that look like cotton, hop along a field of wildflowers that glisten amazing shades of white and lavender. She closes her eyes and focuses on the millions of sounds that float into her ears. The sweet trilling of birds that perch on trees high above her. The sound of a woodpecker that taps against the hollow trunk of a tree. The trickle of water in a stream as it flows downhill to join into a greater river. She inhales deeply and a small smile creeps past her lips as she smells her favorite scent of evergreen.

Because she grew up in the congested streets of London, she is almost never able to breathe fresh air unless she were to make the long trip to Kensington Gardens, but even then, the air was not as clean, still contaminated with the smoke and smog that spreads throughout the atmosphere.

When walking by a local street vendor with her mother one day, the man offered a candle for Wendy to smell. When she inhaled the aroma, it smelled heavenly. So crisp and cool, nothing like anything she had ever smelled before. The man told her that it was the scent of evergreens and she had made sure to commit that scent and name to memory.

Inhaling the evergreen scent deeply now, she relaxes upon the fallen tree and rests, enjoying the serenity and peace. However, her moment of tranquility is short lived. Wendy begins to feel a tingling at the back of her neck, the hairs standing on end as if something bad is about to happen. Growing apprehensive, she listens tensely around her to see if she can hear anything that would indicate danger. When she doesn't hear anything except for the birds and streams, she gets up and continues to walk, but at a faster pace than she had before, not wanting to take the risk of staying and becoming something's lunch.

As she walks briskly through the forest, she has this feeling as if she were being _watched. _It could just be paranoia from her being alone for several hours in the woods, but something tells her that she should trust her instincts_. _She quickens her pace even more so, desperate now to find anything that could provide her safety from whatever she feels is watching her.

Wendy happens to glance to her right as she passes by a very menacing-looking tree, it's branches mangled and it's leaves dead. It could very well just be from her anxiety that hasn't subsided yet, but she feels like the tree is _moving _towards her, as if trying to block her from going any further. Passing this off as a hallucination from hunger or dehydration, Wendy shakes her head and carries on. But as she walks past the tree, she is sure that she sees it move again. She leans down and scans the ground thoroughly, and is startled when she sees scuff marks in the dirt, as if the roots dragged themselves. Growing suspicious, she inspects the foliage carefully, her eyes trying to discern anything out of the ordinary, and what she sees has her paralyzed.

Within the dead and decaying leaves, she swears that she sees eyes staring back at her. They are a slate gray and they lock onto her and hold her gaze. She stands there, captivated by those mesmerizing eyes. They remind her of steel, sharp and cold and unyielding. She can't help but become trapped in a trance. But as she sees hands reaching from within the tree's foliage to claw at her nightgown, she breaks free from her daze and _runs._

She dashes through the forest, trees and ferns flash past her in a hazy blur of greens and golden yellows. It isn't long before she is panting and sweating as she attempts to get as far away as possible from those piercing gray eyes. She is sprinting as fast as she can, hopping over roots and ducking under branches. She chances a glance behind her and does not see anyone following, but before she even has the chance to turn her head back around, Wendy feels herself collide with something solid and warm. _A person_.

Hands grip her and before she can even react, she is swung up and over a shoulder as if she were a sack of laundry. Wendy starts screaming and kicking and pounding her tightly clenched fists against this person's back, anything to try to break this tight hold on her, but they keep a firm grip on her, their fingers digging into her skin, hard enough to cause bruising and she winces.

"Who are you?" she demands, in the most commanding tone she can muster. "Where are you taking me?" She gets no response. She looks down and sees the back of a very muscular and tall boy. He is wearing a dark gray jacket with a hood covering his head and black pants with a belt that she notices holds a very sharp and menacing dagger, that glints in the sun's rays. Her heart rate increases, becoming nervous as to what her captor plans on doing with her. She resumes her thrashing, trying to release herself from his iron grip, but she knows it is a useless endeavor. He is too strong.

Wendy gives up and they travel in silence, with him walking confidently and her sulking over his shoulder. She squints as the sun shines in her eyes. The foliage is becoming less dense, creating more open space and allowing more light to rain down. Looking at the sun's position in the sky, Wendy guesses that it is late afternoon.

They continue their trek with her still slung over the boy's shoulders until he stops abruptly and they are standing in the middle of a clearing. He dumps her onto the ground with no gentleness whatsoever. She scrabbles to get away from him but he takes out rope that seems to have been hidden within his jacket and grabs her wrists to begin tying them together. The rope rubs against her sensitive skin, scraping her wrists from the course fibers. Wendy is once again terrified of what this boy will do to her. She has heard horrifying stories of what can happen to an unsuspecting girl walking alone on deserted streets in the night. She begins to imagine terrible, awful things-each one more horrifying than the last-and starts screaming as he approaches her.

He rolls his eyes and puts one hand on her mouth and says exasperatedly, "Could you shut up for two seconds and stop trying to run away?" He doesn't say it threateningly or with any hint of menace, just with annoyance. He removes his hood as she lifts her head and glimpses the face of her captor for the first time. She notices with surprise that he is quite handsome.

He has wavy golden hair, a long narrow nose, and full lips that are slightly upturned from amusement, not malice. He couldn't be more than seventeen. She stares into his striking gray eyes and relaxes slightly. Mother used to tell her that the eyes are the windows into a person's soul. She looks into his eyes and sees that he is not a cold-hearted murderer. Maybe a little harsh and rude and arrogant, but not cold-hearted.

Hesitantly, she asks, "Who are you?" He holds her gaze with intensity as he says, "I'm Felix, one of the Lost Boys on the island." Wendy blinks. She hasn't a clue of what he is talking about. "How do I get home? And what are 'Lost Boys?'" A smile appears on his lips as he says, "You're not goin' home."

Her heart starts to pound rapidly in her chest and she begins to panic. Straining against the rope that binds her wrists together, she tries to get up with difficulty. Noticing her struggling, Felix pulls her up and steadies her, but she starts frantically moving, trying to get away to find her brothers. He puts his hands on her shoulders to keep her in place. As she wrenches against her restraints, she bombards him with a million questions. "What do you mean I am not going home? Where are you taking me? Who are the Lost Boys?" Growing more desperate, she begins to plead, "I need to leave! I have to get home! My brothers need me!" Felix rolls his eyes again and says with amusement in his voice, "Your brothers are here."

"Pardon?" They're _here_? "I need to see them." She pauses, trying to soften her tone. "Please, Felix?" He does not try to suppress a smile as he turns around and shouts, "John! Michael! Can you get over here for a second?"

She sidesteps him and does not believe her eyes, for she must be dreaming.

There are her brothers, sprinting towards her across the clearing. She is so happy that tears fill her eyes. When they reach her, they tackle her to the ground and wrap their arms around her. She rests her hands, still bound in ropes, on the tops of their heads, feeling their silky curls weave in between her fingers, needing the reassurance that this is not some illusion, that her brothers are actually here with her and that they are all together and safe. They are laughing and crying and she brings her face close, resting her forehead on theirs as she looks at both of them, examining them for any injuries. Besides some dirt and what looks like paint on them, they seem completely fine.

She happens to glance down and notices their clothes for the first time and laughs with amusement. "What are you both wearing?" They shrug sheepishly.

John and Michael have been dressed in a similar outfit to Felix. They are both in light gray jackets with hoods, black pants and boots, with a belt at their sides. The outfit may look decent on Felix, but on them, it makes her brothers look quite silly. To her relief, they have wooden slingshots instead of a dagger and she sighs at ease, not wanting them to have any sort of dangerous weapons to harm themselves or each other with accidentally.

Her relief over knowing that her brothers are safe is short lived and soon replaced with fury. She looks up at Felix and demands, "Why have you brought us here?" He simply shrugs and says, "I wasn't the one who brought you here." Confused, she stands up with John and Michael's help. "If you did not bring us here, then who did?" She asks.

"That would be me." She turns around.

"Peter Pan."

**Author's Notes: Sorry I left it on a cliffhanger, but I can't resist! You guys will see a lot of those throughout this story! Anyways, what do you think? I am super excited to write the next chapter, so hang in there! And thank you to everyone who reviewed my story! They really pushed me to get this done faster! So please read and review! Until next time!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Notes: As promised, I wrote this chapter a lot faster than I usually do and lucky for you guys because it's a longer one! Yay! But anyway, get ready because this is Wendy's first encounter with Peter! It's gonna be a rocky road... I hope you guys enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the OUAT characters, but the story is entirely my own. **

**Chapter 4**

He was _furious_.

When Felix had told him that there had been a bombing in London and that a boy's school was blown up, he immediately sent for the boys to be brought back here, giving strict orders that whoever was severely injured to just leave and let them perish. He had no concern for those souls who were too weak to defend themselves. He required strong, yet ignorant boys that he could command without question of his leadership. He was pleased when over a dozen boys were collected.

However, he was _not _pleased when he sensed a _girl_ of all things in his waters. In fact, he was enraged. No girls were allowed on his island! How dare she invade his kingdom without his permission! As soon as he felt the feminine presence, he ordered Felix to capture her immediately. The last thing that he needed was an oblivious little child stumbling around in the Neverwood. She would most certainly get herself killed-not that that was any concern of him, for he did not care-it would just be a pain to try and locate her corpse before any of the boys happened upon it. He was not sure how he would explain that.

He was deciding what he should do with the little girl as he began to head for the clearing where he and Felix agreed to meet. Her name was Wendy Darling according to Felix's message and he huffed under his breath. _What a perfect name for an ignorant, small child. _But what would he do with her? He could not simply let her go back, she had seen too much already and he would ensure that his secret kingdom remained that way. The brief thought to just kill her crossed his mind, but he shook that thought away. He was not above killing children-he had done it before-but that fate was reserved for the ones who truly deserved it.

Another idea came to his mind as he approached the clearing. He could just send the small child to Hook and his crew. They were sure to accept her. They had not laid with a woman for quite some time and something told him that they would be eager to take a small girl, even though she had not matured yet. He smirked to himself. He will send the little child to the pirates and let them have their way with her.

He passed the tree line and stepped into the open field and made eye contact with Felix. The tall boy gave him a nod in greeting as he approached the small group beside Felix. The two boys-he believed their names were John and Michael-heard him walk towards their group and instantly turned around and stepped aside, casting their eyes downward as a sign of respect. _Good, _he thought. _They will be excellent Lost Boys. _

When John and Michael stepped aside, he saw the small girl that they were embracing, only she wasn't small. In fact, she looked to be almost the same age as he was, possibly a year younger. She turned around and her eyes widened as she saw him.

"Peter Pan." The words blew past her lips. It was a soft and gentle whisper. Peter felt something jolt inside of him before disappearing not a moment later. He brushed it off as nothing as he looked at the girl in front of him.

"Wendy Darling," he said, his mouth curling upwards in a smirk.

* * *

Wendy panics as she turns around and sees a boy standing in front of her. He is tall and thin, but not scrawny. Definite muscle is wrapped around his wiry frame. He is dressed in a dark green, almost black, outfit and the fabric looks smooth, similar to leather, but not quite. She studies it more closely and realizes that woven within his clothes are small, dark leaves, making him blend in with the forest that surrounds them. It is a curious outfit that looks, oddly, rather fitting on this boy. She moves from his clothes to his face, and is startled by what she sees.

His hair is a wavy golden brown, cut shorter than Felix's. He has a sharp jawline and a long nose. His lips are in a thin line and turned up, trying to hide a growing and malicious smile, and a few freckles dot his cheeks. His eyes… _his eyes. _Something about them makes her linger on them. She feels as though she has seen them before, she just can't quite put her finger on it. His eyes are a bright, emerald green with burning gold flecks that catch the sun's rays, making them shine. They glance over her body with a ravenous hunger until they rest on her eyes and a smirk plays at his lips.

This boy is rather handsome, and the thought makes her blush slightly, but something nags at her. Why did she say Peter Pan? She didn't mean to say it, the words flew out of her mouth before she could even understand them. She has never even seen pictures of the fabled boy who refused to grow up. She had only heard stories from Mother about him, just like every other child hears the stories of Peter Pan at one point or another in their youth. But how did she know with utmost certainty that this boy in front of her was that boy? And how did he know who she was? Certainly she would have remembered meeting a childhood fairytale at one time or another.

"How do you know my name?" Wendy asks, growing apprehensive. His smirk grows wider. "I know a lot of things," he says, with just a hint of self-righteousness, and she resists the urge to roll her eyes, trying to maintain a sense of decorum. "Very well. If you seem to know everything, then you must know how me and my brothers got on this island."

"Sure I do."

"Would you care to enlighten us?" she says, losing patience.

"Not particularly."

"Why not?" She demands.

"Don't want to."

And just like that, a flip has been switched within Wendy. The exhaustion and frustration and terror that she has had to endure this entire day comes flooding through and she can't hold back, taking it all out on this boy standing in front of her. "Do you have any idea what I've been through," she shouts. "First, I appear on a strange beach, _alone_, having not a clue where I am. Then, I trudge hours through a forest suffering from dehydration and hunger. Next, I'm hunted down by a boy hiding in a _tree_. And finally, I was tied up like a prized hog and carried like a sack of potatoes until I was thrown in front of you!"

Once Wendy finishes, she immediately feels better, having let out all of her piling frustrations on this irritating boy. She takes a very deep breath as she remembers herself and says in a calm and polite tone, "I am sorry for my outburst but I would greatly appreciate it if you could please untie me."

The boy just looks at her with amusement in his eyes and shrugs. "I don't really feel like it."

Not allowing her emotions to get the better of her again, she tries a different tactic. "But the ropes are hurting me. They're cutting into my wrists." She bats her eyelashes and pouts her lower lip in the most undignified way so as to maybe receive sympathy from this infuriating boy. But he just picks at his nails and shrugs as he says uncaringly, "Not my problem."

Resisting the urge to scream, she turns to the boy behind her who had called himself Felix. "Felix," she says, making her voice silky and batting her eyelashes coquettishly once more, "could you please be a gentleman and untie my wrists?" Felix chuckles under his breath. He looks to the boy, standing in front of Wendy and lifts an eyebrow in question, asking a silent permission if he could remove the rope. The boy just shrugs once again and says, "Do whatever you want. I don't care." Wendy keeps her eyes on him as she feels Felix undo the knots at her wrists. When she feels the bindings slip off, she sighs in relief and shakes out her hands, feeling the circulation returning once more to her fingertips.

She smiles gratefully at Felix and then turns back around to the arrogant boy. "Much better. Now that that's done, would you please tell me your name?" _Because I'm having a difficult time truly believing that you are, in fact, a fairytale come to life._

He rolls his eyes. "Didn't we already do introductions?"

Wendy raises her eyebrow. "So it's true? You're really him? _Peter Pan_?"

He smiles broadly and says, "The one and only. Although my friends call me Peter," he smirks at her. The way he says this suggests that she is not one of his friends. Wendy stands in silence and Peter notices her disbelieving expression. His smile vanishes and he crosses his arms over his chest indignantly, taking a defensive stance.

"Expecting someone else?" His voice is dripping with sarcasm.

All she can do is stare as she looks at her childhood hero standing in front of her. This arrogant, self-righteous boy is Peter Pan? The boy who could fly? Who never grew up? The boy who dreamed and laughed and played? This boy in front of her is the _King of Neverland_? Wait…

She snaps out of her revelry. "If you are Peter Pan-"

"Which I already said I am," he interrupts. Wendy rolls her eyes and continues with her train of thought. "If you are Peter Pan, then we're in…"

Peter smiles once again and raises his arms around them in a grandiose gesture. In an imperious tone he pronounces, "Welcome to Neverland!"

Wendy spins around to look at John and Michael who still stand beside Felix. They both have huge smiles plastered to their faces and they are nodding enthusiastically, as if they can barely contain their excitement. She whirls back around to face Peter, who is watching her with amusement at her bewildering state. How could it possibly be that they are in Neverland? This makes not the slightest bit of sense. This place is supposed to be just a children's story meant purely for joy and entertainment. It's not supposed to actually _exist_. This is impossible. It must be.

"But Peter-"

"Only my friends call me that," he interrupts yet again.

She rolls her eyes and places her hands on her hips. "Well what would you like me to call you?"

Peter thinks for a moment and the corners of his mouth twitch as he says, "Pan."

"Fine. _Pan,_ how can we possibly be in Neverland? It's not as though there is a train we can take. How did my brothers and I get here?"

Peter stays silent, refusing to give Wendy any answers to her questions. The only indication that he actually even heard her is that his eyes shine with mischeif, as if he has a secret and loves that she does not know.

"Well?" She asks him, growing frustrated yet again at this irritating boy.

"Well what?" He says, his smug smile growing by the second.

"Are you going to answer my questions or not?" She says with exasperation.

"Decidedly not."

She groans inwardly at this conversation that seems to be going around in circles. It is clear that Peter will not tell her anything that he does not want her knowing, so it is no use bothering to ask. Perhaps Felix will give her some answers with some convincing and no small amount of charm. But in the meantime, it seems as though her and her brothers won't be going anywhere anytime soon.

"Can you at least tell me where my brothers and I can stay while we're here?" She asks Peter, hoping he will be merciful and offer them shelter from the dreadful forest.

Peter is silent for a moment, as if contemplating something. He then smiles in a way that causes the hairs on the back of her neck to stand up. _This certainly cannot be good_, she thinks. The expression on his face ensures her that it won't be, whatever it is.

There is dead silence for only a moment and then Peter shouts in a commanding and firm tone, "Boys!" The sound echoes all around them and Wendy tenses, expecting something to happen. At first, nothing does. It is only her, Peter, Felix, and her brothers standing in the open field. She raises an eyebrow at Peter, but he remains expressionless gazing at the tree line, not giving anything away. With dread, she turns her head slowly around to follow his gaze.

At first, Wendy sees nothing but the trees that surround them. Then, the faintest sounds can be heard and she concentrates to discern the noises. The snapping of twigs. The swaying of branches. The rustling of leaves. The sounds encompass the clearing, settling around them like a thick fog. Her heart begins to pound rapidly as she prepares for whatever ominous danger is coming. She reaches out to Michael and John, moving them behind her to protect them from a threat that seems to be growing louder and louder by the second. Her brothers begin to protest, but she silences them quickly with one look. Wendy squints into the darkness of the forest, trying to discern anything from the shadows, but her eyes are too weak and the woods are too dark.

Then all at once, seeming to appear from nowhere, dozens of boys step out from the forest, their mouths grim and their eyes hard. One by one, they all come.

Every boy that steps out of the woods has a distinct trait that distinguishes him from the others. One is very small, clutching a tiny slingshot in his grubby hands with big brown eyes. One has a lanky build and is covered from head to toe in freckles with ginger hair. One has a head of unruly blonde curls that catch the afternoon sunlight. Another has cruel eyes that are as black as tar and hair to match. This boy makes Wendy shiver.

Her eyes drift over each boy that emerges from the forest. They all are wearing similar clothing to Felix and her brothers. Various jackets with hoods of browns and greys, dark pants and boots, belts strapped around their waists, all carrying either daggers or slingshots. Some boys have what look to be bow and arrows slung across their backs. Others have furs and pelts draped across their shoulders or set atop their heads as hats. And they all have a layer of dirt covering every inch of their bodies.

The boys surround them, coming closer and closer until they form a tight circle, destroying all hope of escape. They show no emotion on their faces except for the occasional mischievous smirk. Wendy tenses, preparing for a fight. If she has to, she will protect her brothers to whatever end. She refuses to let them get hurt.

The silence stretches on for minutes and Wendy waits anxiously for something to happen. She glances around from Felix to Peter, trying to decipher the expressions on their faces, but they are both blank canvases, showing no emotion. She begins to feel claustrophobic from all of the boys packed tightly around them and she does not know how much longer of this silence she can endure.

When Wendy feels like she is about to scream, a sudden smile illuminates Peter's face, making him appear wild. Her stomach twists in knots and a feeling of dread settles over her. _This cannot be good_, she think to herself. Peter raises his arms in a grand gesture and shouts, "Boys, we have some new recruits!" Instantaneously, every boy becomes frantic, jumping up and down ecstatically, raising their fists victoriously in the air, and howling like a pack of wolves on the night of a full moon.

The thick tension she felt in the air has instantly vanished and Wendy stares on in bewilderment at this spectacle, confused as to what exactly is going on. The boys begin to dance around tumultuously and before she can stop them, Michael and John join in, and she loses them in the chaotic sea of boys. Above the commotion, she manages to yell out to Peter who stands at the center of the mayhem and catches his attention.

Peter saunters over to her with a smug expression on his face and his lips turn up into a smirk.

"You called?" He says, not bothering to hide his amusement.

Wendy gestures around her at the wild dancing around them and shouts over the ruckus, "Who are all these boys?"

He glances around them. "These are my Lost Boys", he states proudly.

"Who?" she asks, exasperated with vague answers that leave her with only more questions.

Peter smiles at her and it makes her shudder at the glint in his eyes. "You'll find out soon enough." And with that, he walks away, becoming lost in the frenzy, and Wendy is left standing in the middle of this chaos, all alone.

* * *

Eventually, the boys cease their dancing and dash back into the forest, and Wendy is able to make out John and Michael running among them. She grows panicked as they disappear within the trees.

"Michael! John!" She calls out in vain, but they cannot hear her over the hollering of the other boys.

"Relax."

She jumps, not knowing that anyone was behind her. She turns to see Felix standing next to her, a faint smile on his face as he watches the boys run into the woods.

"They're just going to get something to eat."

At the mention of food, her stomach growls loudly at the prospect of eating something. Wendy places her hand on her stomach as if that will somehow cure the gnawing hunger that is consuming her. Felix glances down at her stomach than back at her and he gives her a knowing smirk.

Felix looks away from her and seems to have a silent conversation in his head. Wendy can see his eyes flicking back and forth yet not really seeing anything. After a moment of silence, Felix shakes his head as if ridding something and then turns to her. "Follow me," he says and he leads the way into the woods where her brothers disappeared.

Felix glances over his shoulder. "Stay close to me. It is easy to get lost in the Neverwoods, and once you do, you will be trapped within the forest forever."

Wendy shivers at the prospect of being alone in the forest and quickens her pace until she is beside Felix.

Eventually, they catch up to the rest of the boys who are all clustered in front of a massive wall of vines and leaves where it seems one could go no further, the boys walk right through the foliage, instantly disappearing, leaving just her and Felix once again.

Felix walks up to the vines and parts them. Wendy peers into the dark cave with uncertainty. "Nobody is going to appear out of thin air and attack me, right?" Felix chuckles as he remembers the first time they met when he hid in a tree and kidnapped her. He shakes his head. "You do want to get something to eat, don't you?"

At the idea of getting food, Wendy hesitantly walks into the darkness and she hears Felix enter behind her. The vines close around them, encasing them in complete darkness and she panics, never having liked the dark.

Even in the nursery, Mother and Father made sure to leave a candle burning long into the night so she could rest easily. Now, there is no candle and she is in pitch darkness. "What do we do now," she asks Felix, attempting to keep the panic out of her voice and failing. Instead of responding, Felix grabs her hand and pulls her forward. The warmth of his hand chases the cold that had entered her veins and covers her in a radiant heat that relaxes her body.

At first, they walk in silence and Wendy thinks the darkness might continue for all eternity, but then, something strange happens. A shimmer of light appears in front of them. An image. It's edges are blurred and it is hard to discern, but it looks to be like the forest. As they continue to walk, she squints harder as the trees becomes more clear and the darkness begins to recede. Felix and Wendy take one more step and suddenly, it's as if they have come up for air from holding their breath. The forest surrounds them now, no longer a painting on a canvas and she whirls around to see that gone are the wall of vines and instead is more of the same forest, as if the cave never even existed. The same thing had happened when she first arrived and stepped off the beach and entered the woods. The ocean and sand had completely disappeared as if it never existed. This time, the cave and wall of vines disappeared.

Felix chuckles to himself as he sees her expression of astonishment. "It's an enchantment," he explains, as if magic is a normal occurrence. "It conceals our camp so that enemies can't find it. Even if they walk right through this part of the forest, they won't be able to see us."

"But where is the camp?" Wendy looks around, only seeing more forest and no sign of civilization. Felix chuckles and points his hand upwards and Wendy looks up as well, only to be amazed by what she sees.

In the trees is what looks to be a whole city. Houses and bridges and walkways are built all around the tree trunks, connecting one house to another. Candles in the windows of each home light up the sky that has darkened now that the sun has begun to set. Boys walk across bridges and climb up ladders hundreds of feet in the air and Wendy stares in amazement at it all. She is certainly not in London anymore.

Felix leads her to the base of a tree where up above is what she assumes to be where the others are eating. Wendy looks up with uncertainty at the height. There is no possible way that she could climb all the way up there, but Felix shows no concern. He brings two fingers to his lips and whistles a sharp, high-pitched note. He smiles as Wendy looks up to see a rope with a small platform being lowered to the ground. Felix steps on and she follows suit, grabbing the rope for balance. Felix, sensing her hesitancy, wraps one of his arms around her waist bringing her closer while he whistles a low-pitched note with his other hand.

The rope begins ascending into the trees and Wendy clings to Felix as they rise higher and higher off the ground. He chuckles at her frightening yelp, but does not say anything as he allows her to clutch him tightly. They come to a larger platform and Felix steps off first before turning around and grabbing her to carry her off the rope and onto somewhat solid ground. He sets her down gently and Wendy opens her eyes for the first time after shutting them tightly on their ascent into the sky.

The view is even more incredible up here. The sun has completely set and lights have been lit everywhere in the homes and walkways, making the entire camp look like fireflies. Boys scurry along the bridges and walkways that connect throughout the entire camp. Wendy peers down into the ground and immediately backs away from the ledge and into Felix. They must be at least a hundred feet off the ground and that thought alone terrifies her. She is not scared of much, but one thing that does scare her above all else is heights. She inwardly groans. _Out of all places, why did their camp have to be in the trees?_

He guides her towards a huge tree located what seems to be in the center of the camp. As they get closer, she realizes that there is a house nestled within the tree's dense foliage. She can make out the sounds of laughter and clapping and know that her brothers are inside. Felix pushes back the curtain that is acting as a door and Wendy steps inside.

Instantly, she is greeted with a delicious smell. Beef stew. Her mouth waters at the aroma. Inside the small house, there is a long table with benches on both sides with the boys from the forest sitting, laughing and talking. She sees John and Michael sitting in between two of the older boys that look to be about fifteen and sixteen. Her brothers smile and wave at her and she waves back, glad to see that they are alright. She briefly notices that Peter does not seem to be sitting among them, but is quickly distracted from that. She looks to see that every boy has a bowl of that mouth-watering stew in front of them and she becomes ravenous, but suppresses the urge to grab the first bowl she finds and lick it clean.

Wendy glances around for an empty seat and sees that there is an open one on the log bench towards the end of the table. She gladly takes a seat, sighing in relief to rest her aching feet. She looks up to see that Felix sits directly across from her and she smiles shyly, uncertain of what to do. He nods his head in recognition and turns back to talk to a small boy with red curls.

Felix and Wendy are both seated next to a chair at the head of the table, which seems more like a throne. The chair is massive and the dark oak wood that is tangled and twisted to form it is embellished with a huge glittering green gem in the center. Wendy rolls her eyes at the ridiculous chair. She is willing to bet who the owner is.

A bowl of beef stew is placed in front of her by a younger boy wearing an apron and holding a ladle. She smiles in thanks to him and turns back to the food in front of her. She is silent as she practically inhales the beef stew. Nothing has ever tasted this good and she almost moans at the warmth that floods her body.

Around her, the boys are laughing and talking energetically and she smiles. Wendy looks up from her now empty bowl and sees Felix staring at her and the intensity of his gaze makes her blush. A small smile plays at his lips and she can see that he is trying to force it back. He opens his mouth, about to say something to Wendy when a gust of wind blows from a door she did not notice before that is tucked in the back corner of the room, enshrouded in darkness. All heads turn to see none other than Peter Pan strut in. He exudes confidence and arrogance and Wendy's blood boils with anger. He stalks towards the chair at the head of the table. She glares at him as he smirks at her and slides into his chair, putting his feet up on the table, right in front of her face.

Forgetting her manners, she says, "Do you mind?" putting as much bitterness as she can into her voice. "Nope, not at all," Peter says. Wendy clenches her fists involuntarily and glares at him. He gives her an amused look and she grits her teeth, resisting the urge to throw her wooden spoon at his head. Peter smirks and turns his attention back to the unruly boys crowded at the table.

Throughout the entire meal, Peter just listens and occasionally smiles to himself at some of the comments while Wendy glares at him. A bowl of beef stew is placed before him by the boy wearing the apron, but he never actually eats any of it. He simply twirls the spoon around in the broth, staring at it intently, while listening to everyone's conversations. His eyes remained fixed on the bowl, as if that stew contained the answers to the universe inside if only one were to stare at its contents long enough.

Peter stands up when the last bowl is licked clean and the table immediately falls into silence, even the youngest of the Lost Boys, sit at attention to listen. He clears his throat and says, "As some of you might have noticed, we have some new people among us tonight. First, meet our two newest Lost Boys! John and Michael!" Wendy stares in shock as Peter gestures to her two brothers who stand up proudly onto the table and dance wildly while the other boys clap and cheer, pumping their fists in the air.

"What?!" All laughter stops and the boys turn to stare wide-eyed between Peter and Wendy. John and Michael climb down from the table and take their seats quietly.

The atmosphere becomes tense, like a sudden and thick fog. Wendy swallows the lump in her throat, regretting her outburst as the candles around the room flicker and a darkness seems to emanate from Peter as he stares at her, his eyes turning cold. With a menacing expression on his face, he asks, "Do you have a problem?" There is no mistaking his threatening tone, but she refuses to let her brothers become a part of whatever this is.

"My brothers are not joining some-" Wendy struggled for the right word. "Some _cult_! We are leaving _first_ thing in the morning and going home!" She screams. Wendy did not think it was possible, but Peter's eyes darken even more so. His eyes once emerald green, turn almost obsidian, so shadowed that there is almost no white in his eyes, just a dark oblivion. The room becomes even more silent, if that were possible and she can feel all of the boys-even Felix-hold their breath as they wait for Peter's outburst.

Wendy braces herself for what is bound to be yelling, but instead Peter's voice turns into a threatening whisper that makes a shiver run up her spine. "Wendy, you will not leave this island without my permission and I do not grant you that, so it looks like you're stuck here, like it or not," his voice drops even lower, so it's just a hush that she doubts even the boys can hear. "Nothing happens on this island without my knowledge or without my command. You will not leave. Is that clear?"

Peter stares menacingly at Wendy and the boys are all in shock, except for Felix, who is staring into his bowl, his entire body tense. She notices that the wooden spoon that is gripped tightly in his clenched fist, has splintered, shattering fragments of wood across the table. He lifts his eyes the smallest fraction and she can see the warning in them.

In order to survive, she has to be smart. It is enough to remind her that her brothers are counting on her to get them off this island. If the only way to do that is through Peter, she has to play his game, so Wendy does what her mother has taught her countless times when something upsets her; she buries her emotions deep inside her, never to see the light of day. But Wendy is not an expert like her mother. "Crystal," she spits out.

As if a flip has been switched, Peter's eyes turn bright again as he continues his speech, acting as though nothing had ever happened. "As I was saying, we welcome our new brothers! Raise a glass to John and Michael!" He raises his cup and the other Lost Boys follow suit, forgetting all about Peter's threatening demeanor not one minute ago. They toast Wendy's brothers while she sits silent and still, trying to withhold a scream in frustration.

Peter continues, "We also welcome our very first girl to Neverland, Wendy Darling! She will be our storyteller and regale us with tales filled with excitement and adventure! To Wendy!" He raises his glass, and before the cup can touch his lips, he says quietly so that only she can hear, "I know she will not disappoint." Peter takes a long, slow sip as he stares down at her, a mischievous gleam in his eyes. He winks at her, careful not to let anyone else notice, and another shiver runs down her spine, not from fear, but something else entirely, and she is not sure she likes what it is.

After dinner, Felix introduces Wendy to the Lost Boys, but there are too many to keep track of. Some looked so young that they could not have been any older than six, particularly a small boy named Teacup, who carried a stuffed bear in his arms and had big, blue eyes. He reminded her so much of Michael when he was that age and the thought makes her heart ache as she has come to realize that her brothers are growing up and she is powerless to stop it.

To Wendy's relief, however, most of the boys looked to be in their teenage years. They all varied in height and features, but one boy in particular caught her eye. He introduced himself as Rufio and looked about 17. His eyes were as black as tar along with his hair. He seemed so familiar and she remembers that he was one of the boys that surrounded her in the clearing where Felix had brought her when she had first met Peter. He was utterly disturbing and she shivered involuntarily around him. When they met each other's gaze, his eyes travelled down her body in the most unpleasant way and Wendy moved closer to Felix, crossing her arms protectively over her chest.

Looking around, she was shocked by how many Lost Boys there were on this island. They all surrounded her and made her feel small and childish in comparison. Each boy had a crazed look in their eyes, something wild and feral that left Wendy feeling on edge.

She didn't like how they gazed hungrily at her as if they were starved and she were their next meal for them to devour until there was nothing left of her. The only one who looked at her as though they wanted nothing from her was Felix, and that made her feel safer in this wild place filled with wilder boys. Felix seemed to be the only tame one here, and so Wendy kept close to him, hoping that even though he hardly knows her, he would shield her from whatever dangers lurked around in the shadows.

After Wendy was introduced to all of the Lost Boys, she whispered to Felix, "How many of them are there?" Without looking at her, he answers, "'Bout thirty now." She stares blankly at him. _Thirty? How is that possible? How many children has Peter taken from their beds and brought here against their will?_

They stand in silence until Felix says, "John and Michael are staying with some of the younger boys, we just need a place for her." It takes Wendy a moment to realize that Felix is no longer talking to her, but to somebody behind them. She spins around and comes face-to-face with a muscular chest. She blushes profusely and steps back, looking into emerald green eyes.

"Will you please stop doing that?" she says, growing tired of him disappearing and reappearing out of thin air and startling her each time.

"Doing what?" Peter asks innocently, knowing perfectly well what she means. He stares at Wendy and she finds herself completely in a trance, unable to look away from his piercing gaze. They stay like that for what seems like an eternity until Felix breaks the silence and asks Peter, "Where do you want me to put her?"

Never taking his gaze off of Wendy, Peter says with mischief in his voice, "She will stay with me, Felix." Peter's gaze dips down to her chest and lower, slowly dragging across every inch of her body and she feels as though he can see right through her white lace nightgown, and with how thin it is, Wendy does not doubt that he probably could. She immediately crosses her arms over her chest, attempting to cover herself, as an angry blush spreads across her cheeks. Peter stares at the color rising to her face and smirks. "I'm sure we can find ways to… occupy ourselves. And besides… it might finally shut her up when I put that pretty mouth to use." Wendy gasps indignantly at what Peter is suggesting and without thinking, she begins to swing her fist towards his face, aiming for his jaw, but before her knuckles can connect with his skin, a hand darts out and wraps around her wrist and pulls her back.

To her utter disappointment, Peter just stands there with a smug smile on his face. She desperately wanted to hit him, wanted some way to release the anger that has slowly been building towards him all afternoon.

Wendy looks behind her to see that Felix has a firm grip on her hand, not tight enough to bruise, but enough to give her a clear warning that what she was about to do would have been a huge mistake. Before she can lunge at Peter again, Felix wraps his other hand around her waist. She gasps at the touch, not entirely sure that it's unwelcome. His fingers are so long that they almost wrap around her stomach, the heat burning through her nightgown into her skin. Wendy is at a loss for words as Felix speaks up. "She can stay with me."

Peter just shrugs, seemingly uncaring of what transpired. Before turning away, he smirks at the two of them and his eyes flick down to Felix's hand on her waist. "Just try not to be too loud." He walks away without another word, disappearing once again. Felix pulls her away before she can analyze Peter's cryptic message and attack him. Again.

* * *

Felix places his hand on her lower back, leading her to a wooden house that is nestled within the foliage of the tree. Felix opens the door and gestures for her to step inside and Wendy is surprised by what she sees.

The house looks bigger on the inside. The room furnished with a small bed pressed up against the side, a dresser opposite it, and a small table and chairs. A few candles are scattered around the room, offering a warm glow, but not enough light to fill the entire room.

She examines the room and is surprised that there are not many personal items anywhere and no pictures of family. Nothing to hint at Felix's life or personality. The floorboards squeak beneath her and the sudden image of falling through the floor and plummeting to her death briefly invades her mind, but she shakes her head, ridding the ridiculous notion. Mostly.

Wendy has never been behind closed doors with a boy before. In London, it is never proper to have intimate contact with a man until you were married, and if you were to get married, you would have to be courted first. You would take long strolls in the park under the watchful eyes of a chaperone. You would go on a carriage ride through the square on a crisp winter's night. And only after stealing a few chaste kisses and receiving your father's blessing, would you be proposed to.

Wendy has never done any of those things. Marriage has never interested her. In fact, the whole idea of pledging yourself to one person and trusting that person completely for the rest of your life sounds absolutely terrifying. Her parents have been trying to push her towards eligible men ever since she turned sixteen, but she has refused. She does not believe that she is ready for that sort of commitment, no matter how many times Mother tells her that girls younger than her have a husband and are expecting children.

But Wendy does not want that. She does not want to be tied down to a husband and children. She does not want a white picket fence and church on Sundays. She is so very grateful for everything that she has been given. She knows that she is fortunate and if she were to spend the rest of her life in normalcy, she would be fine.

But what she truly yearns for is freedom. Freedom to do as she pleases, to travel, to explore. Freedom to just be herself without the restrictions of society scrutinizing her every step. Wendy knows, deep down, that she can never have this and that she is doomed to a life of domestication, but when she is asleep within the confines of her mind, she dreams of flying over London, past the clock tower and the city streets, towards the great unknown.

Of course her parents do not know any of this. Wendy buries this secret deep down into the depths of her subconscious and only when everybody is asleep does she pull it out and admire it.

She shakes her head and sees Felix staring down at her inquisitively. A moment of silence passes before she bombards Felix with a million questions that she has been dying for answers ever since she awoke on the beach.

"What is this place? Who are you? Is that really _Peter Pan_?" Wendy blurts out. Felix has a silent war inside his head for a few moments then sighs. It's as if a flip has been switched. No longer does Wendy feel a calming warmth when Felix speaks, but a cold, menacing presence. "Look. You aren't in London anymore, you're in Neverland. And _here_, asking questions will land you either caged, dead, or suffering from fates much worse. So I suggest you stop asking questions." Felix's voice drops so low that Wendy strains to hear him. "Because everything you've ever been told about this place is a lie."

* * *

So much has happened today that it's hard for Wendy to fully grasp any of it. Her brain keeps spinning around and around in her skull. Neverland. Lost Boys. Felix. _Peter Pan. _Wendy is so exhausted that she could sleep for days. Most likely feeling pity for her, Felix's intense gray eyes soften. She is sitting on his bed awkwardly, not sure what she should do, but Felix just starts taking out extra sheets from a drawer and throws one of the pillows from the bed onto the floor. He then lies down. "I'll sleep down here, you take the bed."

"Felix, no. You do not have to do that. This is your bed, I will be perfectly fine on the floor," she says, attempting to put as much bravado as she can into her voice, having never slept on anything harder than a soft mattress and goose feather pillows. Felix chooses to ignore her as he flops down onto the pillow and yawns, "Get some sleep. You'll need it for tomorrow," before shutting his eyes.

"What's tomorrow," she asks, her imagination running wild with all the horrible possibilities, but Felix does not respond. Wendy creeps to the end of the bed and glances down, surprised to see that he has already fallen asleep, his breathing even and steady. With a sigh, she sinks into his bed, grateful for his warm sheets and pillows. "Thank you, Felix," she whispers to the empty silence of the room, not expecting an answer. Wendy turns on her side and closes her eyes, but she does not expect sleep to come easy with her brain still overrun with so many thoughts.

_What am I going to do? My brothers and I cannot stay here on this island forever. I have to somehow get Peter's permission to leave. That shouldn't be too difficult… right? _But something tells her that convincing Peter to leave will be the hardest thing she has ever had to do, harder than trying on her first corset.

These thoughts and so many more swirl inside her head for what feels like countless hours, but eventually, she drifts off into a restless sleep.

Then the nightmares begin.

* * *

_Wendy is running through the forest. Gnarled and twisted branches loom over her and snag at her hair and clothes. Her nightgown and slippers are destroyed and in tatters, revealing her skin underneath. She stumbles through the woods. Roots poke out of the ground and brambles pull at her already torn nightgown, making it hard to run away from the monster that chases her through this dark forest. Wendy can feel its hot breath on her neck. Its heavy panting getting louder as it gets closer. She dares to look back and screams when she sees a fog of darkness billowing towards her. In the middle of the mass are bright golden eyes, glowing brilliantly against the darkness. Not looking where she is stepping, Wendy trips over a root and tumble to the ground, her ankle twisted. Her head hits the back of a tree trunk with a loud thunk and she can feel blood trickle down her ear. The monster smells the warm liquid and rushes towards her. She is powerless to stop it._

_The golden, angelic eyes loom over her, looking out of place within the black fog. Wendy hears sinister chuckling and the dark mass creeps closer, so that it's gold eyes are mere centimeters from her own. Expecting a terrible odor that will make her eyes water, Wendy is surprised when she only smells the faint scent of evergreen. _

_Dark hands reach out from the shadow and grab her by the neck, lifting her up off the ground and cutting off her air supply. Wendy flails and kicks, doing anything to release her from it's death grip, but it is no use. She hears more than sees the unsheathing of a blade and her eyes bulge. A shimmer and then the agonizing pain of metal entering her body. Wendy is released and crumples to the ground, her eyelids shutting closed, too exhausted to stay open. Her world turns black and she enters oblivion._

* * *

Wendy flies out of the bed, her scream piercing the silence. Her heart is pounding and her body feels as though it is on fire. Hands grip her face and she panics. She blindly punches the air until she smacks something solid and hears a curse. There is silence for a moment until she hears someone shuffling around in the dark. A light blazes through the tent and her eyes adjust and take in her surroundings.

She sees Felix hovering over her, scared to make any movement as though she was a wounded gazelle. He hesitantly and slowly makes his way to sit on the edge of the bed and places the back of his hand on her forehead. "You're burning up," he says. Tears blur her vision, but she holds them back, not wanting to cry in front of Felix. Wendy only nods.

Felix stays silent as he sits by her side. Perhaps that is his way of comforting her, and she gives a halfhearted smile, but does not wish to be around anyone right now. Wendy needs to be alone. Her lip begins to quiver and she bites it, trying to force a brave face. She slides out of the bed and before she leaves the small house, she whispers, "I'm sorry," and steps out into the night.

The cool breeze kisses her face and Wendy closes her eyes, savoring the feeling of the fresh air. She looks up at the moon and estimates that the sun will be up in only a of couple hours. She knows that she won't be able to go back to sleep, so she wanders around the camp in the trees, making sure to stay far away from the edges. Occasionally she walks by torches whose flames still burn brilliantly, even in the small hours of the night. _How do the flames not go out? _she wonders, but is too tired to really care. Wendy sits down on a platform, completely lost, and leans her head back on one of the houses, not having the foggiest idea of whose home this one belongs to.

The memory of the nightmare is still vivid and the thought of it makes her shiver. Wendy closes her eyes and sees the golden ones amongst the shadow of darkness. Taking a deep breath and pushing the piercing eyes into the recesses of her mind, she feels her heart rate slow down as she listens to the sounds of her first night in Neverland.

**Author's Notes: I was so excited to write this chapter! What do you guys think of Peter and Felix so far? I actually loved writing their characters! It was just so much fun! But please let me know if you guys like it because it encourages me to write faster! And thank you to everybody that did leave me a review! I am so happy that you guys like the story so far! Please keep reading and reviewing! Until next time!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's Notes: I know! Two chapters in one day is insane for me! But don't expect this to happen a lot, I am just trying to get as many chapters as I can done before it gets really crazy for me! So enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the OUAT characters, however the story is entirely my own.**

**Chapter 5**

Peter stands with his arms crossed over his chest, brooding over the large map hanging on the wall. His eyes scour over the landmarks, searching in vain for any signs of _them_. There is almost no light save for the small flickering candle placed on a table, casting shadows across the room. The night passes slowly, time creeping by at an agonizingly slow pace. Peter still stands there in that same spot, scanning every inch of the map for something. _Anything. _

After several hours have passed, he growls in frustration, slamming his hand against the wall to release some of his pent-up anger. He can feel himself losing control, the darkness consuming him. Peter takes deep breaths, trying to calm down before he slips up and destroys his house. It would be a pain to have to rebuild it yet again. He stands in silence, listening to his pounding heart beats eventually slow to a normal pace.

Peter does not turn towards the figure lurking in the dark corner behind him, cast in shadows. Instead he says with much sarcasm, " You are losing your touch. I sensed you the moment you entered."

"You always could."

Peter does not respond. He still stands with his back turned away, hiding any emotions from the figure. The silence stretches on until the figure speaks again, hesitant to ask Peter the question, but still needing to know the answer.

"What are you planning?" Peter smirks knowingly, crossing his arms over his chest and lifting an eyebrow.

"You mean what am I planning to do with her." It was not a question.

The figure tenses, remaining silent and Peter waits, wanting to hear what the other has to say. Several moments pass before the figure speaks again, hesitantly.

"...I don't know what you're talking about."

Peter rolls his eyes, angered by the blatant denial of the bothersome person behind him. "You know what I'm talking about. Just because she is the first girl that shows up on the island, does not mean that you can throw yourself at her," he says with agitation. "Even if she isn't completely hideous," he adds reluctantly, not wanting to admit that there is anything redeeming about that girl. Peter would rather just use her how he sees fit and dispose of her once he's done, never wanting to see her again. She is merely a pawn, a stepping stone on his way to eternity. The sooner he gets rid of her, the better.

"I don't know what you're talking about," the figure repeats, not knowing what else to say. Peter is losing his patience and wants to be done with this pointless conversation that is going nowhere. He sighs in exasperation and turns around, finally staring at the person lurking in the corner of the dimly lit room. "You don't want to admit it. Fine." There is silence for a moment as Peter turns back around to stare at the map, his eyes once again scouring the paper looking for what, the figure does not know and as he turns to leave, thinking that Peter is done speaking, he hears a deadly whisper, "Stay away from her. I have big plans that I will not have derailed because you are foolish enough to fall for this girl. You will not get involved… Understood?"

"Understood." The figure steps out of the door and into the moonlit night, planning to go back to his house when he hears Peter call for him again.

"Felix."

Felix turns to look at Peter who is still staring intently at the map. "Yes?"

"Take that back with you. I don't need to hear her snoring all night." Peter nods his head towards something outside. Felix turns to see Wendy collapsed beside Peter's house, her golden hair reflecting almost silver in the moonlight. Small inhales of breath can be heard from her as she sleeps peacefully.

"And this will be the last night that she sleeps with you." Felix looks to Peter and could swear that he saw a muscle in Peter's jaw tick, but he couldn't be sure.

Felix does not bother to question Peter. He just nods and wraps his arms around the fragile girl, leaving the darkened home of Peter Pan.

Not much is known about Peter. He keeps a very secretive life. All Felix knows is that Peter is the original. He was the first person to inhabit Neverland and ever since then, boys have appeared on the island, never questioning that Peter is their leader. Felix does not know how they arrive, but he knows that Peter is extremely powerful. He has never actually seen Peter use any of his power-nobody has-but it would take an idiot to not sense just how strong Peter truly is. There are times when Felix can feel an ominous power that radiates around Peter whenever he loses control of his emotions, which is not often. But when he does lose control, everyone stays as far away as possible from Peter, because if they were to get in his way… Well, boys have gone missing on Neverland before. And it will happen again.

As Felix walks back to his house, he hears a tiny voice call out to him and turns around, finding Teacup carrying his stuffed bear with his thumb in his mouth, staring at Felix with wide eyes. He sighs, just wanting to be back in bed and asleep already. "What do you want Teacup?"

The small, blonde boy walks up to him and whispers to him nervously, "What are you doing with Miss Wendy? You heard Peter, you can't be close to her." Felix sighs, not at all surprised that Teacup was listening in on his conversation with Peter.

Not many of the boys know that Teacup oversees everything that happens within the camp and then reports back to Peter. Peter does not trust many of the Lost Boys except for Felix and Teacup. Peter is paranoid about any traitors amongst them and will only tolerate loyal followers, so he has Teacup keep surveillance of all of the boys on the island. Because Teacup is so small and quiet, nobody notices him. And because he is still a very young and seemingly innocent child, everyone trusts him, making him the perfect spy for Peter.

Felix turns back to Teacup. "I'm not going to leave her outside so that the shadows can have her. You know as well as I do that these woods are dangerous at night." Teacup nods along as if this makes perfect sense. "Just be careful," he says, his big blue eyes staring up at Felix, filled with concern. Felix smiles at Teacup and ruffles his hair before finally heading back to his house, leaving Teacup standing there watching him go.

Felix calls over his shoulder. "Don't worry, buddy. I will."

* * *

Wendy dozes in and out of sleep. She feels a swaying motion. Muscular arms are underneath her knees and on her back and she hears the creaking of wood. Someone must be carrying her. She is about to open her eyes when she begins to hear voices talking, the sounds muffled as she struggles to remain conscious from her complete exhaustion.

"...You heard Peter… can't stay with you anymore." Wendy has heard that voice before, but she can't seem to place whose it belongs to. She strains to keep listening.

"...leave her outside so that the shadows can have her... woods are dangerous at night." The voice sounds incredibly familiar. _Felix. _He must be the one carrying her. And he mentioned the shadows_. Does he mean the shadows that were in my dream? _

She hears the other voice telling Felix to be careful, followed by the sound of footsteps and she knows that Felix has started walking again. Wendy doesn't dare open her eyes. She doesn't want to risk Felix thinking that she heard that conversation. Wendy just relaxes and enjoys the feeling of Felix's arms around her and his heart beating in her ear. She pillows her head on his chest as he carries her back to his house. She hears the opening and closing of the door and he lays her gently down onto the bed and pulls the sheets up to her neck. Wendy instantly feels warmth seeping into her bones and driving away the cold.

She keeps her eyes tightly shut, not knowing if Felix has fallen back asleep. After a few moments, she feels a hand on her head and instantly tenses up, but relaxes as she realizes that Felix is now gently caressing her head. Wendy hears him let out a sigh and it sounds so worn and weary, as if he has been carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders for centuries.

"You will not last more than a day out here by yourself."

Wendy grows panicked, thinking that Felix knows she is awake, but after a few silent minutes, he continues to talk in a hushed tone and she listens intently.

"You are too young and innocent and pure for this place. Once he is done with you, there won't be anything left of the girl you are now." Felix's words are so dark, so menacing, unlike his hand that is running its fingers through her hair gently. But his next words stops her heart.

"This place will bring your death."

A cold shiver runs down her spine, despite the warmth of the blankets. She doesn't know what Felix means and there are so many questions she has that she feels will never be answered, but Felix's message was clear: her and her brothers need to get off this island before they are destroyed.

Mulling over the words she heard this night in her head, she barely hears Felix sigh as he gently caresses her cheek with his finger, and lays back down in his makeshift bed on the floor. After a few more minutes, Wendy hears his steady breathing and knows that he has gone to sleep.

She sits up immediately and stares into the dark room, trying to understand all that she heard. So this place _was _dangerous. That much she knows for certain. But what about the shadows? Was Felix talking about the shadow that she saw in her dream? Was that what he was referring to? The shadows?

This is all so confusing. Her head is whirring with these questions and Wendy has no idea how to answer a single one. And she knows that Peter won't answer any of them. Her gaze drifts down to the boy sleeping on the floor beside her. If she could convince Felix to tell her what is happening on this island, she will be one step closer to bringing her and her brothers home. Her eyelids grow heavy and Wendy lays down against the pillows, inhaling Felix's scent deeply. It smells masculine and smoky, like a hearth, warm and reassuring. She smiles to herself and drifts off into an unusually quiet sleep.

* * *

She wakes to the feeling of someone nudging her shoulder.

"Wendy, come on. It's time to get up."

Wendy opens her eyes and sits up. She feels a warmth on her face and smiles at the light streaming in through the window of Felix's home. She looks around the room to see Felix with a smile on his face and laughter in his eyes.

"Here," he says, tossing her a bundle of clothes. Wendy holds them up and looks at the curiously. _This is certainly different than petticoats and parasols,_ she thinks to herself_. _

"Thank you," she says. "I didn't want to spend another day wearing this." She gestures down at her sheer white nightgown, and Felix follows her hands, his eyes lingering in certain places that makes Wendy blush profusely. "Well," he says, barely containing a laugh, "as much as I love what you're wearing right now, it would probably be better if you changed into those instead." He gestures towards the clothes in Wendy's hand and clears his throat, "Well, I'll let you get dressed then… and uh… meet me at the dining hall when you're done." With that, he leaves quickly and shuts the door behind him, leaving Wendy a few moments of grateful solitude.

Wendy stands and observes the pile of clothes laid out. She blushes when she sees the undergarments folded neatly, thinking about Felix having to touch them. Slipping them on, her blush increases tenfold when she finds that they fit perfectly.

Amongst the pile of clothes there is a dark green, almost black jacket and tight matching pants that cling to her legs like a second skin when she pulls them on. They hug her body and accentuate the little curves that she does have. After putting on a simple lighter green blouse and the dark jacket that looks to be made of material similar to leather, Wendy stands in the mirror Felix has hanging on his wall and looks at herself.

But instead of herself, Wendy sees another girl. She has wild hair that flows loosely down her back and her eyes are filled with excitement and the promise of mischief. She has a tight dark outfit that highlights her curves and boots that make her seem strong and confident. That girl is not her. Wendy does not wear skin tight clothing. She is not wild. Nor strong. Nor confident. These clothes are nothing like what she is or what she is supposed to be and surprisingly… Wendy likes it.

She steps outside and sees Felix leaning against the wall outside. He is staring out across the trees and the light that filters through the leaves, bathing everything in a golden glow. She smiles, surprised that he waited for her. When Wendy steps in front of him and politely clears her throat, he glances in her direction and his eyes widen when he sees her. His mouth hangs open in astonishment as his eyes gaze over her body. She blushes profusely and walks across the platform, making her way towards the house where they ate last night. As she begins to walk, she feels Felix grab her wrist, pulling her back. Wendy looks at him questioningly and he says in a rough voice, "It's-uh… it's this way," he clears his throat. She blushes and Felix leads her across a different platform high in the trees and as they continue to walk, she begins to hear boisterous laughter from up ahead.

They walk in silence, her following and him leading. She stares at Felix's back as they walk high in the trees and Wendy recalls Felix's words last night. She can't help but wonder what is really happening on this island? There are so many things that don't make sense or don't add up and she is struggling to fit all of these scrambled pieces together. But she knows that if she wants to have any hope of uncovering the mystery around this place and finding a way off the island, Wendy has to get closer to Peter. He is the only one who can tell her what she needs to know.

With a newfound determination, Wendy marches behind Felix as he leads them to the bigger structure in the trees where they must have ate last night. Now in the daylight where she can see properly, Wendy can see that this house is larger than Felix's or any of the other Lost Boys' homes. They reach the platform and walk through the curtain. All conversations stop and Wendy sees every boy's head turn to stare at her. She feels the blazing heat rushing to her face.

Their mouths hang open, food that was on their way to their lips falls off of their forks as all the Lost Boys stare at her in her new attire. Wendy makes her way to the end of the table and can still feel their eyes glued to her form. She sits as calmly as she can in her seat and after a few more minutes of stunned silence, the conversation starts back up again. She looks up to find Felix staring intently at her. She feels her blush deepen even more and looks back down again, her face on fire.

Wendy looks to the bowl in front of her and sees that breakfast consists of ripe and vibrant fruits that she has never seen before. They look exotic and tropical and absolutely mouthwatering. She picks up a fork and begins to try the fruit, instantly moaning in satisfaction. The flavor is crisp and sweet, like an ice cold glass of lemonade on a hot summer's day. Wendy has never tasted anything quite like it and instantly brings more fruit to her lips, unknowing of the juice dribbling down her chin. Felix, chuckling at the sight of her making a mess everywhere, takes a napkin and leans across the table, wiping her chin.

His thumb swipes over her lips, staying there for a moment longer than needed before moving his arm back. Wendy looks in astonishment at him and he stares back, his gaze deep and intense. Her cheeks burn from his staring and she immediately looks back down, resisting the urge to run her fingers over her lips where his were not moments ago.

The Lost Boys continue to talk, oblivious to what just transpired between Felix and Wendy. She looks around the table and sees John and Michael, relieved that they didn't seem to see anything. Michael might be too young to understand, but John is maturing into a young adolescent, and if he were to see what just happened, Wendy knows he would be immediately suspicious of her relationship with Felix. But her brothers continue to converse with the other boys, happy and carefree. She smiles at the sight, glad to know that they are content for now while they are stranded on this island.

As breakfast continues, the boys become more rowdy and energized, shouting and laughing and throwing various forks, fruits, and bowls across the room. At some points, Wendy finds herself joining them, being swept up in the utter nonsense that is Neverland. She feels light, without a care in the world, and it feels… nice. That is, until they hear heavy footsteps and all heads turn to look as Peter storms in with his head buried in what appears to be a map. He is not paying attention to any of the Lost Boys as he sits in his chair and studies the piece of parchment intensely and thoroughly.

Wendy attempts to be civil, knowing that she will need to be on his good side if he is ever to give her any information regarding the way off this island. "Hello, Pe-"

Peter lifts his head and stares at her with a dark look filled with disdain. Wendy immediately grows silent, having never seen an expression quite like that saying a single word, he buries his head once again in the map, effectively cutting off any chance of initiating a conversation.

Wendy silently screams in frustration inside her head. If she is ever to convince Peter to get her and her brothers off this island, she needs to be able to talk to him, but she does not see how she can do that when he refuses to actually listen. Her blood turns to fire as the anger she feels towards Peter escalates. Wendy calms herself by thinking of her brothers. She looks to them now. They are both talking to some of the younger boys and they smile and laugh. The scene makes her smile, too, and her anger subsides.

Peter continues to study his map and not a single boy bothers to talk to him. They ignore him and go back to their eating. After a couple minutes of intense scanning, Peter gets frustrated and throws the map at the wall behind him. All heads turn towards his sudden outbreak. Felix glances at Peter and says, "No luck?" Peter gives him a deadly glare and says with heavy sarcasm, "Well, obviously not Felix."

Felix glares at his plate. Even the boys stop talking. The tension is so thick Wendy can feel it pressing down on her shoulders, making her hunch lower into her seat. After several minutes of Peter glowering at his bowl of fruit, he pushes his chair back vigorously and storms out of the room. Wendys finds herself angered that Peter did not even give her a passing glance. At the very least, he could have given her some greeting or farewell. After the silence that Peter created, one of the younger boys got up on the table and made pig noises as everyone laughed and conversation started again.

Once breakfast was done, Wendy pushed back her chair and walked outside. Felix joined her not a moment later. "So, what do you want to do today?" he asks. She considers this for a moment. "Could you please give me a tour of the island? I would love to see it." She wanted to know the terrain on Neverland because if there is ever a need for her and her brothers to make a quick escape, she would rather not get lost running through the Neverwood.

* * *

Neverland was beautiful and ethereal. Felix showed Wendy the parts of the island and each sight was more breathtaking than the last. He said that he couldn't show her all of Neverland because some areas were extremely dangerous, but Wendy had a sneaking suspicion that he was not allowed to show her certain parts for one reason or another. But she did not want to push this and just enjoyed seeing the parts of the island that they could see.

Along the journey, Wendy would try to ask Felix about how she got here or what Peter was looking for that morning, but anytime she broached the subject, Felix would immediately shut down and say that he was incapable of answering those questions. What he meant by that, Wendy did not know, but it was clear that she would not receive any answers from him.

When the sun began to set, Felix takes her to a small lake. The colors from the setting sun reflecting on the water, making it look yellow and orange and pink.

Wendy is mesmerized by the beauty until the sound of rustling fabric snaps her out of her trance. She looks to Felix undoing his jacket and tossing it to the ground. Her heart starts pounding as she says slowly, "What are you doing?"

He glances up at her and says as though it were obvious, "Don't you want to go for a swim?" It does sound tempting and as much as Wendy hates to admit it, she does need to wash the layer of dirt and grime and ash from her body. She has not bathed in several days and she does not know how much longer she can take it. So, she slowly peels off her tight jacket and places it to the floor. She slides out of her pants and lays those on the floor, too. She looks over to see that Felix has waded into the waters and is now treading in the middle of the lake, his back facing her, giving her the privacy she needs.

Wendy hesitates for a moment and yanks off her blouse before she can think better of it. She stands in just her undergarments, her bear arms and legs trembling as goose bumps rise onto the surface of her skin from being exposed to the cool air. Not daring to look at Felix, she walks right up to the shore and wades into the lake, the warm water instantly washing away all the dirt and sweat from these past few days. Wendy closes her eyes and enjoys the feeling of being clean. A moment later, a splash of water sprays her and she opens her eyes to see Felix swimming towards her in nothing but his trunks and she gulps nervously.

They tread water together, each staring into the other's eyes as the air becomes heated with the pent-up emotions swirling between them. Wendy is unsure of what to say. Felix is the only one on this whole island who has expressed any care for her. He is the one who has shown her any small amount of kindness. She is truly grateful towards him. She does not know if she would have survived the past day were he not there beside her. She just does not know how to express that in words. But Felix seems to have an idea as his hand reaches out of the water and gently caresses her cheek, his thumb leaving a trail from her cheekbone down to the curve of her lips. She shivers at the contact, never once having a boy touch her as Felix is now.

Their bodies drift closer and Wendy involuntarily is leaning her head towards his and she can see him doing the same thing. His breath washes over her face and it sends a pleasant tingle down her spine. Their lips are so close now, only a hair's breadth away. She does not know if she wants whatever this is. This is moving much to suddenly for her liking, but she feels she cannot help but gravitate towards Felix. Especially now that his arm is wrapping around her waist underneath the water and pulling her towards him.

Wendy closes her eyes at the exact moment that their lips touch. It is a ghost, a phantom of a kiss and she sighs against his lips. But then her eyes flutter open when Felix abruptly pushes her away. Not harshly, just suddenly. She watches as he drags his hand out of the water and runs it through his hair, ruffling the golden strands. He blows out a puff of air and curses under his breath.

"I'm sorry, Wendy… I kind of just… look I-what I mean is-I'm sorry." He stares intensely into her eyes. "It's alright," she says, "Truly, I'm not ready for that either." He looks as though he were about to say something, but he discards it and instead nods his head. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to do that." Wendy thought she heard him mumble _I wasn't supposed to do that_ under his breath but she disregards it. But the sun has now begun to set and the air has grown chilly and she shivers, crossing her arms over her chest in an attempt to keep warm. Seeing this, Felix leads them out of the water. They throw on their clothes-with Felix's back still facing hers-and make their way back to camp.

As they walk, uncomfortable silence wraps around them as neither of them know what to say to each other about what happened in the lake, but they seem to make a silent pact not to speak of it to anyone, especially Peter. Wendy can feel the tension between them and wishes that they had not travelled so far away to swim in that lake. The walk seems like an eternity, but when they finally reach the cave enveloped in vines, Felix pauses. "You can't sleep in my house tonight, or any other night for that matter."

Wendy sighs and when she is about to object, he cuts her off. "I mean it, Wendy. You can't stay with me anymore." She wants to argue that just because that uncomfortable situation happened does not mean that they still can't be near each other, but when she sees his severe expression, she knows that something else is going on. "I suppose Peter is responsible?" By the way a muscle in Felix's jaw ticks, she has her answer.

Wendy says no more as she marches through the cave and into the encampment, Felix trudging along behind her. They make their way up into the trees and Wendy does not slow her pace as she begins to look for the biggest house she can find, knowing that that is where Peter will most likely be. He does not disappoint as she locates an overly large house tucked in the foliage on the outskirts of the camp. Wendy bangs open the door, forgoing all manners that have been instilled in her since birth.

She walks inside, expecting to see a furious Peter, but to her surprise, the room is empty. She turns around, about to ask Felix where elase Peter would be, but Felix has disappeared. _He really is like a servant for a king_, she thinks. Whatever Peter commands, Felix does without question. Wendy shakes her head in disgust-not at Felix who is seemingly incapable of disobeying, but at Peter who treats the Lost Boys as his personal slaves. And what is more incredible, is that the boys seem to worship Peter as though he were a deity.

In all the stories that her mother used to tell her as a child, Wendy distinctly remembers that Peter Pan could fly. He had the ability to soar through the sky and up into the heavens in the mere blink of an eye. But as she has come to learn the longer she stays here, Neverland is becoming less and less like what the stories described, so it seems plausible that if the island was different, so was its ruler. But why was Peter such a hero in the eyes of the Lost Boys? And what better way to find answers about him than in his own room?

Wendy surveys the space and was surprised by what she saw: absolutely nothing. She wasn't sure what she was expecting, but not this. There was nothing out of the ordinary, in fact, it was rather similar to Felix's room. There were no personal items decorating the room, just awfully lavish furniture for a remote island cut off from civilization. The bed itself was absolutely ridiculous. It was extremely large for just one person and various skins and pelts were strewn across the bed. When Wendy reaches out to brush her hand along one, she finds that it was very soft. Even her bed back home would seem primitive compared to this bed.

Suddenly, without warning, the image of Peter lying in this bed with her encased in his arms invades her mind and Wendy shakes her head, immediately ridding the thought. Why did she think of that out of all things? She has no interest in Peter whatsoever. He is rude, arrogant, and narcissistic. The only thing she should concern herself with was using him as a means of escape from this island. Yes, that is what she must focus on. Not her and Peter and this bed…

Wendy shakes her head again, stepping back from the bed and all of the images it produces. She moves onto the desk, thinking there might be maps of Neverland that Peter was studying earlier that day over breakfast, maybe even information on how to travel in and out of the island, but she would never think herself that lucky. Wendy finds absolutely nothing in the desk. Placing her hands on her hips, she scans the room for anything else.

So lost in thought, she fails to notice as a presence enters the room and comes up behind her. Wendy screams when she hears a voice whisper in her ear with no small amount of seduction, "What are you doing in my bedroom?"

**Author's Notes: So... what do you guys think? I loved writing this chapter, it was just a lot of fun! If you were wondering what is happening with Wendy and Felix and you are missing some Peter and Wendy romance, I promise you their time is coming! I just think that I needed to add in a little romance between Wendy and Felix and make a possible love triangle, because what is better than that? Anyways... let me know what you guys think! I love hearing your opinions! And thank you to everyone who has left me a review, they have been so helpful! Keep them coming! Until next time!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's Notes: As promised guys! I tried to write this one as fast as I could, but like I said earlier, I am not gonna be able to update as much now that it's back to school for me! But seriously, this chapter is kind of a favorite for me! I really loved writing this and I hope you guys enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the OUAT characters, however the story is entirely my own.**

**Chapter 6**

"What are you doing in my bedroom?"

Wendy freezes, her entire body tensing as she feels the dangerous presence right behind her, whispering in her ear, and it sends a pleasant shiver down her spine. She stands completely still as Peter begins to circle around her, much like a predator circling it's prey. He stops directly in front of her and peers down, so that his burning emerald eyes are staring into her deep ocean blue ones. He raises an eyebrow expectantly. "Hmm?"

Wendy stutters for a moment, unsure of what to say when she is trapped underneath his captivating gaze. "I…" She straightens her shoulders and stands taller, lifting her chin up in an air of confidence, even if it was feigned. "I came here because I want to know why I am no longer allowed to sleep with Felix." Her face turns crimson when she sees the knowing smirk growing on his face and realizes the unintended meaning behind her words.

She begins to protest at his snickering. "That is not what I meant! I wanted to know why-"

Wendy stops when she feels the temperature of the room grow cooler. She looks to Peter who has stopped laughing. His head is bowed, so she can not see his face, but there is an ominous feeling seeping from him and draining what little light was in this room. It is so dim that Wendy can barely see the outline of his figure, but when he lifts his head, his eyes burn brilliantly. She could be mistaken, but she thought that for a moment, there was a flash of gold, but it was too fast for her to be certain.

His gaze pierces her and leaves her immobile as he asks in a deadly whisper, "Are you questioning me?"

Wendy sucks in a breath and feels her heart pound increasingly fast at his hushed tone. She silently scolds herself for reacting in such a way. This was not the time to lose focus! She refuses to back down just because he decides to use a menacing voice that affects her in ways that she does not want to contemplate right now. "Yes, I am! Where am I to sleep?"

There is silence in the room, and for a brief moment, Wendy thinks that she has stumped him, but then his furious expression changes to one of amusement. She is struggling to keep up with all of his sudden mood changes.

"With me, of course."

Her heart skips a beat. Then two. Color rushes to her face as she recalls her earlier imaginings of her and Peter in the same bed…

"B-but, Peter, that's…" She struggles to come up with the right words, but Peter seems to be enjoying this. His eyes devour her flushed face and her fluttering hands, as if she were a glass of water and he was a man dying of thirst. He relishes in her bewilderment.

"What's the matter," he asks, acting ignorant of her flustered state with his head cocked to one side innocently.

Wendy shakes her head and clenches her fist, deciding that she has endured enough embarrassment for his entertainment. "Fine," she grinds out and Peter smirks down at her.

They stand in silence for a moment. Unsure of what to do, Wendy clasps her hands together tightly in front of her as her eyes dart around the room, landing anywhere but on Peter or the overly luxurious bed calling to her after an entire day of travelling around the island. "So…" she hedges.

Peter huffs a quiet laugh, brushing past her and heading towards a small nightstand next to the bed where a tiny candle has been flickering, the only source of light in the room. He blows it out and now that the sun has completely set, the moonlight filters in through a window, casting the silvery light on the two of them.

With him still not facing her, he begins to unclip the belt that hangs at his waist, letting the strap and the dagger clatter to the floor. Wendy now stares in rapt fascination, unable to break her gaze as Peter shrugs off his jacket, letting it slide to the floor, revealing an undershirt. Her mouth goes dry and she swallows nervously when he takes off that as well, leaving his bare back to shine in the moonlight.

Wendy stares intensely at the muscles that ripple across his back and the golden skin made silver in the light. A throbbing has made itself known between her thighs and she immediately clenches her legs together in an attempt to relieve the pressure, but it is only intensified when Peter turns around and she can get a full view of his lean and muscular chest. Her eyes start at his neck and hungrily trace the lines and divots down his body, further and further until she reaches the fabric of his pants.

Wendy almost wishes that he had taken that off as well, but she immediately shakes that thought away. What was wrong with her? She has never felt this way before. Her heart is racing in her chest and there is an incessant throbbing at her core that refuses to subside. There are thoughts and images racing around her head that most definitely should not be there! It was improper for a lady of her age to be thinking such things towards a boy, but no matter how many times she told herself that fact, there they were. Tantalizing thoughts of what could be. Tormenting images of what _should_ be.

Peter seems to be enjoying her obvious discomfort, but he pays her no mind as he gracefully slides into the bed, knowing fully that Wendy's eyes are tracking his every movement with a hunger. He makes himself comfortable among the fur pelts, seemingly uncaring of her standing in the middle of the room, unsure of what to do.

After a few moments, he turns his face towards her and lifts one eyelid lazily. "Are you coming?"

Wendy's face is on fire. "You mean i-in there? W-with you?" Peter gives her an exasperated look, as though this were obvious. She thought that one of them would sleep on the floor like the arrangement her and Felix had. But she should not have expected that of one so uncaring and unsympathetic towards others.

She now has a choice to make. Either she can do the responsible thing and sleep on the cold, wooden floor _or_ she could swallow her dignity and crawl into that warm, soft bed with a _boy_…

She has made her decision. Wendy slides off her jacket and shoes and gently lays them on the floor. Peter has turned on his side, his bare back facing her, and by his steady breathing, he most likely is already asleep. She gently peels away the covers and slips inside, savoring the delicious warmth that wraps around her.

If her mother could see her now, she would most assuredly be ashamed of her sleeping in the same bed with a man who is not her betrothed. Wendy is grateful that the bed is large. She does not have to worry about wandering hands in the night, and she is terrified to admit that she is not sure whose hands would be tempted to wander-hers or Peters.

But that is absurd! Surely these horrific thoughts are simply delusions concocted from her scattered and overwhelmed mind. Yes, that is what it must be. Peter is arrogant and rude and the only thing she wants or needs from his is a way off Neverland for her and her brothers. That is all.

Wendy looks to him now and briefly wonders if he is awake. She has an idea to get closer to Peter and wants to know if he would be willing to do it for her. "Um…Pan," she hesitantly voices, remembering that he had asked her to call him that when they first met.

At first, there is no response and she thinks that maybe he really has fallen asleep, but then, "Yes, Wendy?' His voice does not sound exasperated or annoyed. In fact, he seems almost slightly curious as to what she could be asking.

"I was wondering if you could show me around the island? Please?"

"I thought Felix had already given you a tour of Neverland today." Wendy was prepared for this response and it was here that she swallowed her pride and the bile rising in her throat when she said these next words. "Yes, but Felix did not take me everywhere and there are still parts of the island that I want to see." She tried to make her tone as seductive as she could, never having much prior experience. "Surely the _King of Neverland _can go anywhere he desires?"

Wendy knows that she has won. Even without seeing it, she can feel a smirk rising to his face. "I suppose you're right, darling. I will take you tomorrow to _really_ see my kingdom." Her heart stops for a moment when she hears the term of endearment escape from his mouth.

"What did you call me?" The question came out more so a whisper than anything else, but he heard it nonetheless.

"That is your name, is it not?"

"Huh?" Her brain is still muddled from how easy the word flew past his lips.

Peter shrugs his shoulders. "You call me by my last name. It only seemed fitting that I do the same."

"Oh." She rolls onto her side, unable to stop a small smile from appearing on her face.

She would have tomorrow with Peter to try and get closer to him and she was determined to get her brothers off of this island no matter what. If that meant spending a day with him, so be it. She just hoped that she could last the entirety of the time without wanting to slap him. Although, looking at their past interactions, the chances seemed unlikely.

"Goodnight, Pan." She was not expecting a response, but as she closed her eyes and drifted off into sleep, she thought she had heard the soft words whispered on a breeze, so faint that it could have been just her imagination.

"...Goodnight."

* * *

Peter was enjoying himself immensely. It was amusing to watch her stumble across her words or fidget with her hands or watch as her cheeks burn a brilliant crimson. There was something about her that he couldn't quite place. She certainly was more… intriguing than the others on Neverland, but he dismisses that thought immediately. She was the only girl to ever show up on his shores, of course he would be interested when he spent all of his time around boys.

There is some small part of him that is pleased that she is sleeping in _his _bed and no longer his second-in-command's. She is _his_ new pawn and he should not have to share with anyone else.

He turned to look at the girl in question who was sleeping peacefully beside him. Peter grudgingly admitted that she was alluring. Throughout his life, he has seen his fair share of beauty, but not quite like this. She has shimmering gold hair that cascades down her shoulders in silky waves. Her eyes are a cerulean blue not unlike an ocean and her lips are soft and pink, and he admits that over the past few days, he has had thoughts about what he could do with those full lips.

But he tells himself that this was not attraction, it was merely a need of release. He simply has a lot of pressure pushing down on him and this was his way of wanting to relinquish some of that weight. Yes, that was what this was.

This girl was no more than a means to an end for him. He was not getting attached to her, this was just him ensuring that she trusts him completely. His plan will not work otherwise. This was him securing his own survival and he needs his pawn to move when the time came.

He hears a soft sigh and his eyes dart over to the girl lying beside him. She has moved and was now turned towards him so he has a complete view of her sleeping face. Something twinges in his empty chest. It was fleeting and he disregards it. He does not feel. He does not care. And he certainly does not _love_. He shudders at the mere thought of the word. His heart had withered a long time ago and now there was a gaping black pit. He was incapable of _feelings_ and that is how he would remain.

* * *

Wendy wakes up and instantly feels cold. She turns her head and sees that Peter is not next to her. She sits up and glances around the room. Completely empty. _Good_, she thinks silently. _He won't bother me while I change and make snide comments._ Slipping out of bed, she quickly pulls on her boots and jacket, not having anything else to wear other than the clothes she wore yesterday and slept in all night. She reminds herself to ask about where she could bathe on the island.

Felix took her to a small lake yesterday where they waded in the water to wash, but she doesn't think that she could find that again by herself. She also wonders if they have bar soap here like they do back home.

_Home._ There is a pang in her chest as she thinks about how her parents must be worried sick about her and her brothers. _Don't worry, Mother. Father. I will bring us all home. _

Wendy walks outside and towards the sound of conversation that is growing louder every moment. She is beginning to grow accustomed to the camp, walking among the trees, high in the air. When she arrives, most of the boys are sitting down already and when she steps in, the talking seems to come to a stop as all the boys look at her. Some with curiosity, some with disdain, and some with amusement. Why are they all staring at her?

Averting her eyes, she silently sits down across from Felix and eats quietly whatever has been placed in front of her. Felix's eyes are on hers instantly. She slowly raises her head to meet his and wishes she had not. His eyes are cold and there are dark circles underneath them, as if he didn't sleep all night.

"What's wrong?" She asks. "Nothing," he spits back and Wendy frowns into her bowl. Felix has never behaved towards her in such a way before. He seemed alright when she had left him last night, albeit slightly tense at her upcoming confrontation with Peter. Does it have something to do with that?

All of the sudden, Peter struts into the room with a rather smug look on his face. Felix's head turns towards him and his eyes go from cold to deadly and Wendy realizes that Felix is mad at _Peter._ She looks between the two of them and then across the sea of Lost Boys, who seem to be eagerly waiting for something to happen. She looks back to Peter and he seems completely oblivious to the venomous glares Felix is shooting towards him.

Peter sits down with a smirk plastered on his face. He notices her staring and his eyebrows raise in a challenge as a blush blooms on her cheeks. "Sleep well?" Peter asks suggestively.

Wendy's face reddens even more so. "Quite well, thank you," she says with bitterness dripping in her voice. This has no effect on Peter and his smirk turns into a full grin, but when he turns his attention towards Felix, Peter stiffens, his smile disappearing.

They glare at each other and both tense, as if bracing themselves for what, Wendy does not know, but she can feel the tension filling the room, making the atmosphere uncomfortable for everyone. In an attempt to relieve the situation, she says, "I was thinking of going for a swim today."

At this comment, both of their heads perk up and she can see that their eyes flicker towards her for a moment, wavering slightly, before turning away again to resume their battle of glaring at the other. Wendy sighs internally and calmly asks, "Would anyone care to join me?"

She looks to Peter and Felix, hoping that they will stop this ridiculously childish act, but no. Felix looks to her for the briefest of moments and gives her a sympathetic smile."Sorry, Wendy. Not today." He turns back towards Peter whose gaze was unwavering. Peter, while still glaring at Felix, says, "I guess you'll have to find another way of entertaining yourself today, darling." Felix grits his teeth and his eyes burn with a cold fury she has never seen before. Peter looks incredibly smug as he says, "Don't worry, darling. I'll make sure to entertain you tonight." He winks for good measure and her cheeks are ablaze as flashes of last night's dream enters her mind. Panting breaths. Burning touches. Tantalizing kisses… She scolds herself for thinking those thoughts at a time like this. Or thinking them at all.

Felix, noticing her flushed face and flustered state, pushes back his chair and slams his palms on the table, causing everyone to jolt in their seats. He looks down at Peter who is still casually lounging in his throne-like chair. "I think we should take this outside," his voice a deadly whisper.

"I agree." Peter stands up and casually saunters past all the boys. "No worries, lads. Go back to your eating."

The two of them leave the room and Wendy races after them, wanting to make sure that they don't do something even more foolish. But when she steps outside, they are gone and she is left alone to wonder how they vanished in the span of no more than a few seconds.

She stands dejectedly for a few moments until she hears someone coming up behind her. The hairs on the back of her neck stand on end when she feels a rough and calloused hand graze her arm suggestively. She pulls away immediately and turns to see one of the Lost Boys. His eyes and hair were pitch black and his mouth turned down in a natural scowl. _Rufio_, Wendy remembers. He was the boy who always made her apprehensive. There was something about him that did not feel right to her, especially the way his eyes always gazed hungrily over her figure in a way that made her feel repulsed and want to hide.

He did this now and she resists the urge to cross her arms over her chest. His mouth licks his lips as though he were imagining the way she tasted. "I'll go swimming with you." The thought makes her squirm and she forces her voice to remain steady as she politely declines. "I appreciate the offer, Rufio, but I think I'll go alone this time. Thank you."

Rufio was determined. "I can show you the way. Make sure that you don't get lost."

"Thank you, but I know the way." She leaves before he can say anything else and she feels his eyes trail her leaving form as she walks away.

* * *

Wendy was lost. Completely and hopelessly lost.

She thought that she was heading in the right direction to the small lake where her and Felix were yesterday, but she must have taken a wrong turn at some point and was now wandering the Neverwood, lost. Felix's words surface to her mind as she recalls one of their first conversations together. _It is easy to get lost in the Neverwoods, and once you do, you will be trapped within the forest forever_.

A pit was beginning to form in her stomach. Would she be wandering this vast forrest until she died of dehydration? Wendy searched in vain for some landmark that looked familiar to her, but found nothing but endless trees. As time passed, she grew more worried. It was already midday. What would happen when night fell? Felix had mentioned something about shadows in the forest and she hadn't had much time to really think about what that meant, but now, horrible images came to mind of a black shadow, much like the one that brought her here, descending upon her and consuming her until there was nothing left.

Just when she was about to give up, sit down, and cry, her foot caught a root and she tumbled to the ground. Wendy moaned as she slowly rose, careful not to place her weight that much on her now throbbing ankle. But when she got up, she realized that she was no longer in a forest, but in a lagoon leading out to the sea. It was beautiful.

This reminded her of her first day in Neverland where she stepped into the forest and the ocean had disappeared behind her. She didn't want to try and understand how that was even possible. Now she just wants admire the breathtaking sight in front of her with it's deep blue waters and soft sandy beaches. The small lake lead out to the ocean, the waters turning rough and wild.

Wendy took off her boots and dipped a hesitant toe into the lagoon to find that the water was achingly warm. It felt as though it was calling, beckoning for her to slip in and sink into the depths below. She could not refuse. Her body was sore and tired and she desperately needed to bathe to rid herself of the dirt and sweat that stuck to her. She slipped out of her clothes until she was left bare before the warm air, uncaring of her nakedness. For she was miles away from any who would see and she needed to wash herself thoroughly.

She walked straight into the lagoon with no reservation, as though it were calling to her. The warm water soothed her muscles and cleansed her from the grime that was coating her body. Wendy floated along the surface, sighing contentedly to herself. She closed her eyes and listened to the sounds of the water splashing around her. Wait… the water was splashing around her.

She opened her eyes and whirled her head around to see what was swimming with her. At first, she did not see anything, all she felt was something with scales brushing up against her thigh. Wendy glances down to see the pale, shimmering bodies gliding through the water around her. "Mermaids," she breathes out. They float around her and she is mesmerized by their luminescence. Their tales catch the light of the sun and reflect off their scales, making them sparkle and glow in the dark waters. Their bodies are naked and pale, and their hair cascades around them, billowing out like a dress. She sees the face of one and is stunned by her beauty.

Her eyes are huge-a deep sea blue with green and gold specks. Her nose is flat against her face and her lips are full and pale. If she looks closely, she can see what looks like gills on either side of her neck. She is breathtaking. Otherworldly. Wendy sees her mouth move but does not hear the words come out. The mermaid crooks one finger, motioning the girl to come underwater. She does without hesitation. Wendy does not bother taking a breath of air.

Once her whole body is submerged the mermaid says, "Come play with us." Her voice is melodic. The other mermaids are still circling Wendy as they raise their voices in approval. She knows she shouldn't, but she can't help herself. When the mermaid reaches out her hand towards Wendy, she grabs it without hesitation.

As soon as the mermaid's scaly skin comes into contact with her, she knows something is wrong. Wendy panics and tries to release the grip on her, but what used to be lovely, polished nails, turn into razor sharp claws. They scratch her wrists and dig into the skin and she sees blood seeping out and mixing with the water. Wendy kicks and flails, trying to be free. She manages to get loose long enough to break the surface and grab a breath before the claws grab her ankles.

Wendy shouts a name into the sky, the first one she can think of, hoping that her plea was heard. Then she is being dragged back down. She looks up and sees the sunlight getting farther and farther away as the mermaids pull her deeper and deeper into the dark abyss. The water surrounding them gets colder and she is running out of air. Her toes and fingers grow numb and she cannot move. The light is gone and darkness pulls her under.

The coldness surrounds her.

**Author's Notes: What do you guys think? It's getting interesting right? I hope you guys all understand what's going on right now because it's gonna get even weirder as we progress... but in a good way! There is some mystery, some action, and of course some romance! Buckle up everybody, because this is going to be a bumpy ride for Wendy and Peter! But let me know what you guys think! I love hearing from all of you, and thank you to everyone that has left me a review! They have been extremely helpful! Until next time!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Author's Notes: Hey everyone! It's been awhile since I've posted and I am so sorry for that! I am back in school and it's been a little hectic for me, but I will try to update as much as I possibly can, so hang in there! Anyways...enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the OUAT characters, however the story is entirely my own : )**

**Chapter 7**

Blinding light greets her when Wendy opens her eyes and she squints against the sun. She coughs up sea water onto her side, feeling the grains of sand beneath her fingers as she empties her body of water. A shadow moves to block the brightness and she looks up to see Peter crouching down in front of her with fury written across his features. His eyes blaze and his fists are clenched at his side. She sees the sunlight reflect off his hair, casting golden rays everywhere.

He looks like an angel sent from heaven and Wendy thinks that she might be dead. "Am I dead?" Her voice comes out broken and her throat feels like it is on fire.

Peter glares at her. "You should be," he says. She scowls at him.

She slowly gets up, but her legs are unsteady and she stumbles forward, right into Peter. His hands instinctively wrap around her arms as she clings to him. "You know, you are becoming more trouble than you are worth," he says, but Wendy is having a hard time concentrating on his words when her face is pressed up against his bare, wet chest. She gasps, her lips grazing his skin and she can feel him tense around her before he pushes her away roughly, creating distance between the two of them.

Wendy has a hard forming a cohesive thought as she stares at Peter. She saw him half-naked last night, but that was shadows and quick glimpses in the silvery moonlight. Now that she can see all of him in the bright sunlight, her heart pounds erratically.

His chest is tanned to a golden tone and is shimmering wet. Wendy briefly wonders if she might be hallucinating from her prior trauma. Peter notices her stare and his fury gives way to his knowing smirk. She blushes from having been caught and averts her eyes, but she can still feel his eyes boring into her and she feels suddenly very self conscience. She looks down and to her horror, sees that she is only wearing a long shirt that stops on her thighs. She looks up to Peter and his bare chest and then back down to the shirt. _I am wearing Peter's shirt._

A blush crawls up her face, painting her skin a bright crimson. Her blood is pounding and her heart is racing. She suddenly feels lightheaded and unsteady on her feet. The ground is swaying towards her. She knows this feeling. She is going to collapse any moment. She swallows and whispers, "Peter…" Her vision is becoming blurry, but she can still feel his beautifully furious face turn to confusion then alarm as she falls forward and everything becomes black except for the distinctive feeling of being carried in strong arms.

* * *

Things were getting interesting. He was right in the middle of showing Felix how he was the leader and his decisions should not be questioned when he heard it. It was faint, but it was there. _Peter!_

Wendy was calling out to him. _Him _of all people. She sounded desperate. He sighed and closed his eyes for a moment to discover where she was. _Mermaid Lagoon. _Peter groaned internally. How did she possibly wander over to that side of the island? He was sure that his barriers were still in place, so how did she pass through them? He was starting to think that this girl required more effort than what she was worth.

Peter deliberated over that thought. Perhaps he could still make use of her, if only she would stop disobeying him and just do what she was told! He could feel her life flickering, the light that signified the living growing fainter as she most definitely was drowning at the hands of the mermaids. But as he sensed her light becoming dimmer as time passed, something peculiar happened.

He felt a dull pain in his chest, directly where his heart used to be. It nudged him, willing him to go to the lagoon. It was strange, this feeling. He now had no urge to teach Felix a lesson in respect, the only thing he could seem to think at this moment was getting to _her_. To save _her_.

He looked down at Felix who was panting, with blood dripping from his nose and then to the direction of Mermaid Lagoon. It was as though she were a siren and he was the sailor, her voice reaching for him, urging him to come to her, and he was helpless under her call. He swore something unintelligible and then looked to the boy still breathing heavily. "I would love to continue, but unfortunately I have to go rescue a damsel in distress. We'll resume this conversation later."

Felix was about to interject and demand what happened, but before he could even voice the words, Peter was gone. He was darting through the trees so fast that if someone were to see him, they would only see a dark blur.

Internally, Peter was cursing himself for not having his full power. If he did, he would be able to get to the lagoon far faster than simply running. He also grew tired more easily. Soon he was panting and sweat was dripping down neck and making his shirt stick to his body in an uncomfortable way. It has been some time since he has overexerted himself like this.

He was growing more frantic as her life continued to get fainter and fainter. Why did he have to debate about saving her? If he had left the moment he heard her plea, he could have gotten there sooner. Now he was paying the price for that mistake, just as the mermaids would pay for _theirs._

How dare they try to steal what was obviously his? She was his pawn and he refused to see her taken away from him. He will show them why they do not disobey their king and he was going to enjoy every second of it.

A cruel smile appeared on his face as he drew nearer. _Hold on, darling_. _I'm coming._

* * *

He was exasperated. Could the girl stay conscious for more than a minute? When Wendy whispered his name and began to fall, to his frustration, he darted out and caught her before her head hit the ground. Why was it that he cared? He should be laughing at her pathetic state and how weak this girl was, but instead, he was showing… concern. The notion itself was appalling to Peter. He should not be worried for her! He should not be carrying her to his bedroom! And he most definitely should not be enjoying the sight of her in his shirt, the cloth stopping just mid-thigh, exposing those long, creamy legs to his ravenous gaze.

He scoffs. There is no possible way that he, _Peter Pan_, cares for this pitiful girl. He is just wound up from not being with a woman in quite some time. That is all this is. A primal need and nothing more. That is the explanation that he tells himself as he lays the small girl down on his large bed with a gentless near reverence. The urge to brush back a stray strand of golden hair from her cheek overpowers him and he reaches down without hesitation. Only when the tip of his finger grazes her skin and a small sigh escapes her mouth, does he immediately pull back.

What is he doing? This is not part of his plan. He needs to get this girl out of his head before she completely overpowers him with her soft curves and delicate features. He needs to get her out of his system. A tantalizingly wicked idea comes to his mind. It consumes him completely and sends his blood pumping in delicious anticipation.

He will have her. He will take away the innocent glow that surrounds her and fill her with seduction and wanting. He will send her over the edge and show her pleasures she has never dreamed of. And only when he is satisfied and she is completely shattered will he dispose of her. She will be ruined from anyone else and he will finally rid her from his mind.

A sinister smile appears on his face as he peers down at the innocent girl still sighing softly in her sleep. _I will have you._

* * *

Wendy's eyelids flutter open. She is tucked underneath the various pelts that are strewn across the absurdly large bed and the fur tickles her nose. She inhales deeply and smells evergreen forest and crisp mountain air, a scent that she has come to associate with Neverland. She closes her eyes only to savor the smell. She pillows her head deeper into the bed and welcomes the peacefulness of this moment, not entirely caring that she is currently sleeping in _Peter's _bed of all places. Wendy starts when she hears the sound of a throat clearing. She jumps up in the bed and her eyes land on Peter staring at her from across the room.

All the warmth Wendy felt a few moments ago drain from her instantly. The look on Peter's face is not a particularly happy one. His eyes are as black as coal, a color that only appears when he is furious-usually with her. His mouth, usually in his signature smirk, is in a grim line. His face looks like it could be carved from stone. Wendy grimaces. She _must _be in trouble.

She went wandering off through Neverland, almost drowned by the hands of mermaids, and Peter had to save her from death. Her cheeks flare up, painting her skin a bright red, ashamed of her actions. What was she thinking? She knew that the island was dangerous. Why did she insist on proving she could navigate her way through the Neverwoods without help. She was warned repeatedly not to.

Wendy bows her head and waits for Peter to scold her. When he remains silent, she hesitantly peeks up through her bangs and studies his face carefully. His expression gives nothing away, just a cold and calculated gaze. In a deadly voice he whispers, "So. What _exactly_ did you think you were doing?"

She flinches at his menacing tone. When Peter speaks like this, nothing good comes out of it. Wendy stumbles over her words. "You and Felix were fighting and I-I wanted to go swimming…I thought I could find my way around the island, but… I got lost."

Dead silence.

Wendy refuses to meet his eyes. She instead fiddles with the fur pelts, anxious for Peter to speak again.

The silence drags on for minutes.

"If you really want to go swimming that badly, I can take you tomorrow."

Her head whips up to look at Peter who is staring out the window rather intensely, refusing to meet her piercing gaze.

She is shocked at the kindness he has just shown her. She was sure that she would be met with furious stares and harsh words, but instead, he gave her something that she wanted. Maybe she could do it. Maybe she could get close enough to Peter so he can give her the way off Neverland for her and her brothers. This small act of kindness from him proves that he is not _completely _cruel.

Feeling more emboldened by the newfound progress in their relationship, Wendy attempts to make conversation. "I never would have imagined that mermaids were deadly creatures. They seemed so sweet and beautiful in the stories." She was expecting an arrogant reply, but she was surprised further when she heard laughing. Real, genuine laughter. And it was coming from Peter.

She stares incredulously at him as he bends over with laughter. His eyes are tearing up and he attempts to wipe them away to no avail. They keep coming. As seconds soon turn into minutes, Wendy grows increasingly more annoyed with his amusement at her statement. Peter continues to laugh hysterically until she sighs exasperated. "_What is so funny?"_

Peter composes himself and says with mirth still on his face, "Darling, what I find so amusing is that you are completely naive." His words anger her and her cheeks burn with embarrassment. She balls her fists underneath the furs and pelts and says hotly, "I am not naive."

"Trust me, darling. You are." The tears sting her eyes and she struggles to hold them back. She can feel Peter's eyes boring into her, as if he can see straight through to her very center. She manages to keep her head high. "No, I am not."

Peter shakes his head and pushes away from the wall that he was leaning on. He saunters over to her with an arrogant expression plastered on his face. He comes right next to the bed and leans down so that his breath mingles with hers. Wendy's heart stops beating altogether. Their lips are so close that if she were to move only slightly, they would be touching. And she wants to. She wants to so desperately close the last few millimeters between them until their bodies are pressed up against each other. Until there is nothing between them at all. The thought sends a pulsing ache down to her very core and she needs to rub her thighs together to ease the tension.

His emerald green eyes peer into her with an intensity that stops her breathing. His hand moves to grasp her chin, his voice cruel but his touch gentle. "You know nothing of the world. What it truly holds." His voice drops to a gravelly whisper that sends vibrations through her body and causes white hot fire straight to her aching core. "I have seen things so evil and vile that the mere mention of their names would send your blood curdling." Wendy shivers and Peter eases his grip, his thumb swiping slowly and seductively over her bottom lip which sends another shiver down her spine that has nothing to do with the temperature of the room.

His fingers make a path down her jaw and her neck, until they are stopped by the fabric of his shirt still resting loosely on her small frame. Wendy has never wished for anything as desperately as she wished in that instant that the shirt was not there. His palm plays with the collar, tempting and tantalizing, giving her only the slightest of tastes of what he could offer her. He continues, seemingly unaware of the effect he is having on her.

"...I have felt the most extraordinary of pleasures that would shatter your mind and leave you unhinged." Wendy's heart beats rapidly inside her chest and her breaths have become shallow. His words are so tempting and she wants it. Badly. She wants him to rip off the clothing that separates them until there is nothing between them. She wants him to trace every inch of her body with his fingers, followed by his lips. She wants to run her fingers through his golden hair as he ravishes her completely. She wants them to be as close as anyone could possibly be to another. Until it is impossible to tell where she starts and he finishes. _And it is so close_.

But she pulls back, giving her the much needed space to breathe and think. She has a plan. Get close to Peter-but not that close. Find the way to get off the island. Leave with her brothers and return to London and to their parents. She cannot let herself venture down that path of refuses to give herself to _Peter_ _Pan _of all people. She will go back home, marry a respectful man, have children, grandchildren, grow old and live a content life. Whatever is happening between her and Peter needs to stop. She does not care for him. She does not need him. And she _certainly _does not want him. He is arrogant, self-righteous, and cruel.

Wendy repeats this in her head as she backs away from him, allowing herself to breathe and relax. "I will take your word for it. Now, if you'll excuse me, I think I will go look for Felix."

Peter chuckles and stands up with her. "I don't think you want to do that."

Wendy places her hands on her hips, having fully risen from the warm bed. "And why not?" Peter gestures towards the bottom half of her body and she yelps, quickly running back underneath the pelts to cover her bare legs from his ravenous gaze.

He chuckles to himself as he crosses the room and pulls out a pair of trousers. He tosses them to her and she slips them on underneath the covers. "Thank you," she grinds out, not wanting to be thankful to him for anything. The idea that Peter's clothes are touching her bare skin is almost too much to handle, but she shakes the thought away before it can escalate any further.

She slides out of the bed-now fully covered-and makes for the door, but before she can even step out into the setting sunlight, steel arms grab her waist rather forcefully and drag her back into the house. Wendy is thrown over Peter's shoulder before she can even gather her bearings and is tossed onto the bed once more. Wendy, flustered and confused, looks into his eyes and she catches a glimpse of something there. Something akin to… jealousy? Anger? But surely that cannot be right.

"What was that for," she demands.

Peter shrugs non committedly. "Were you about to go to Felix?" It was not a question. He knew the answer.

"Yes. Is that a problem?" Peter does not say a word. His eyes dart to the window, avoiding her questioning gaze. Wendy sighs, exasperated at his silence. "Why do you care if I'm with Felix or not?"

His head turns to her, his eyes cold and unfeeling. "I don't." But she does not believe that.

"I think that you do. This morning, you and Felix were arguing. What was it about?"

"That is none of your business."

"It was about me, wasn't it? The fact that I had slept in your house instead of Felix's?"

The atmosphere in the room was growing colder. A dark presence was seeping out of Peter and she was suddenly nervous. Perhaps she had pushed him too far? Wendy internally shook her head, instantly ridding the thought. This was _Peter Pan_ she was talking about. He was uncaring and unfeeling. But still… something seemed to be nudging her at the back of her mind.

Wendy prepared to stand up. "Well, I suppose if you don't care, than you wouldn't mind me sleeping with Felix, would you?"

Peter's glare is menacing, the threat clear in his tone as he growls, "You are never to be alone with him again. Do you understand?"

"Why do you care?" She needs to know.

"Wendy." It is clear with that one word that she must stop. She has crossed the line and there is no returning now.

"_Why do you care?_"

"Wendy-"

"No," she says, cutting him off effectively, and for once, Peter is silent and she takes this as her chance. "You have treated me as though I am an object for you to play with since the moment I got here! You ridicule me every chance you get. _Everything _I do is a joke to you and I do not understand! What did I do to deserve this treatment?" The words flow freely now and she cannot hold them back. All the anger and frustration that she has been storing away for the past few days is breaking free and she cannot stop. "I have tried to fit in. I have tried to play nice. Even though I was kidnapped from my own home, along with my brothers, to some godforsaken island with shadows and deadly mermaids and psychotic boys and even _you! _The great _Peter Pan!_ I used to tell stories about you to John and Michael. About how you're the hero who saves Lost Boys and bravely fights pirates and has all these incredible adventures!" Wendy's voice turns bitter as she stares at him with cold indifference."I guess I was wrong."

She feels hollow. Void of emotion. Empty. Her breathing slows and she waits for Peter to retaliate. But nothing comes. She hesitantly looks up at him, expecting to see hatred. Instead, she sees something akin to pain, but he blinks it away far too fast for her to really analyze what that could mean. His eyebrows turn down and his lips are puckered. He stares at the floor, confusion written across his features. She watches him stand there, clearly troubled from her words, and for the first time since she has been here, Wendy feels guilty at what she said.

"Peter, I'm-"

"You're not an object to me."

The air has escaped her lungs. "What?"

"You're not an object to me," he repeats. His cold, black eyes are slowly turning back into his emerald green. For a brief moment, she wonders how he can continuously change the color of his eyes, but there are more important things racing around in her mind. This is the first time that Peter has shown some sign that she is more than just a plaything to him and she is shocked by his words.

"Fine." Wendy does not know what else she can say.

Peter raises a skeptical eyebrow. "Fine, what?" He says, with no small amount of exasperation clear in his tone.

She crawls back underneath the pelts, resting her head gingerly on one of the soft pillows. With her eyes now closed, she responds, "I'll stay here tonight."

She does not hear anything for several moments. She almost believes that he left his own house when she hears, "...Good. You didn't have much of a choice in the matter, anyway."

If Wendy had not already closed her eyes, she would have rolled them with annoyance. He could be so ridiculous at times.

She keeps her eyes closed as she hears movement around the room. Her breath hitches involuntarily when she hears the rustling of clothes and she berates herself because it was so very loud in the quiet house. She knows he has slipped under the layers of pelts when she feels the most delicious heat radiating only a few inches away from her. Wendy gives into the temptation to open her eyes just a sliver and she almost wishes she hadn't.

Much like last night, Peter's muscular back is bare for her roaming gaze and she can stare at the flawless skin painted silver in the rising moonlight. Her hands itch to reach out and map the body available to her. She can feel her heart beating faster and her need growing for _something_. It was the same feeling that has grown more prominent any time he is close to her. She cannot rid herself of this increasing desire, no matter how many times she scolds herself, but she knows that she cannot give in. To give in would be to give up on all her family has taught her. All of her morals and values would be forgotten. Her parents would be so disappointed in her. She refuses to go down that path. When she comes back home, she wants to be able to hold her head high and proudly say that she did not yield to temptation.

_Still, I suppose there is no harm in simply looking_. She lifts her eyes once more to the smooth skin, admiring the musculature of Peter's back.

"Enjoying the view, darling?"

Wendy gasps, her face burning a bright crimson. She sputters, trying to provide a reasonable explanation for outward gawking, but nothing comes to mind. She sees his whole body quaking, as if he were trying to contain his laughter. She huffs and then turns onto her other side, oblivious of the hungry eyes that are now gazing at her.

She attempts to cool her flaming cheeks when she hears his mocking voice say, "Goodnight, darling."

Wendy pauses for a moment until she is sure that she can speak without any quivering. "Goodnight… Peter."

**Author's Notes: Sooo... what do you guys think? I know not a whole lot of exciting stuff happened in this chapter. It was a bit of a fluff chapter, but in case you haven't figured it out yet, there will be some more mature content in the upcoming chapters! You have been warned! I hope you guys are enjoying this story so far! Please keep reading and reviewing! It really helps to motivate me! And thank you to everyone who has been keeping up with my story, the feedback has been really positive! Until next time!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Author's Notes: Hey everyone! I am super excited to be posting this chapter! I don't know why but this chapter is a favorite of mine! I really hope you guys like it and thank you to everyone who has reviewed! So far the response has been incredible! Keep it up guys! **

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the OUAT characters, however the story is entirely my own : )**

**Chapter 8**

_Wendy is running through the woods again. She is _

_wearing a white nightgown, now stained red from what looks to be blood. She is darting through the forest and each tree she passes to her absolute horror, has a face. Sharp teeth and gaping black mouths are carved into the trunks and beady red eyes stare hungrily at her. She hears a growl, but the sound is not coming from the terrifying trees. It's coming from behind her._

_Wendy turns her head and sees the black shadow once more. But instead of a black cloud, the shadow has a defined shape. A boy. It's remarkably similar to the shadow that first brought her to Neverland. In fact, she is almost sure that they are one in the same. _

_A wicked and mischievous grin appears on the shadow, it's teeth perfectly straight and crystal white. Wendy screams and continues running as fast as her legs can carry her. But as quick as she is moving, the shadow boy is quicker. Within no time, it has caught up to her and she can hear his breath and feel it on her neck. _

_The horrifying trees with faces begin to _move, _their gnarled branches snagging her nightgown and ripping it to pieces. Wendy screams in pain as the twigs catch her skin and draw blood. A hand grabs the back of her nightgown and sends her sprawling to the floor. _

_She turns over just in time to see the shadow boy looming over her. A sarcastic chuckle escapes his lips, promising mischief and danger. He advances towards Wendy with a dagger, already dripping with blood from a previous kill. The smell of salt and iron fills the air, making her convulse. But… there's another smell. A familiar one. _

_She does not have time to think about the faint scent of evergreen before the shadow boy lunges at her, plunging the dagger straight into her heart._

* * *

Wendy wakes up screaming.

"Bloody hell!"

Her cry pierces the silence of the night and sends Peter flying out of the bed. He crouches in a defensive stance, his hand gripping a dagger tightly. A dagger…

He quickly surveys the room and after coming to the conclusion that there is no threat, he relaxes and turns to Wendy, irritation written on his face. "Do you mind telling me why you decided to wake me up in the middle of the bloody night?"

She tries to answer, but she cannot stop the trembling of her entire body. Her throat burns and tears stream down her face. Her heart is pounding so fast, she fears it will give out any minute. She can still feel the faint memory of scorching pain as the blade entered her chest. It feels so real. Her head is pounding in her skull and she has to shut her eyes in order to dull the ache. She curls into herself on the bed, wrapping her arms protectively around herself. She can still see the shadow boy and the demented trees and the dagger, dripping with blood.

Peter continues bombarding her with questions, but she cannot answer a single one. They blur together into white noise. A hand firmly grasps her shoulder, and she is startled to see that Peter is leaning over her, his face showing a flicker of concern before disappearing and being replaced with irritation. The throbbing in her head and the pain in her chest begin to fade away, enough so that she can breathe deeply without feeling a sharp sting.

She lifts her head to find herself staring into emerald eyes. _Peter. _His hand still rests on her shoulder, and they both look down at the same time to the appendage before looking back up to each other. Peter quickly withdraws his hand as though he were burned. They sit in silence on the bed for another minute, him looking at her as though she would shatter if he so much as breathed too hard.

"What happened?" Peter demands.

"I just had another nightmare. I've been getting them almost every night since I came here. I'm sorry I woke you up. I can go find another place to sleep…" Wendy is not sure how Peter would react when she told him about the horrifying dreams she has, but she was not expecting this. His body is carved from stone and his fists are clenched. She feels the inexplicable urge to brace herself for what, she doesn't know.

"When did the nightmares start_,_" he whispers carefully. His eyes are hard and unreadable.

"The first night I got here," she hedges, unsure of how he would react to that information.

"Tell me _exactly _what happens in these dreams of yours."

Wendy does not want to tell Peter. Knowing him, he would just use this weakness against her. Taunt her with it.

"Wendy. What happens?" By his tone of voice, she knows there is no getting out of this. He will not stop until he discovers what she dreams about. What she does not understand is why? Why does he care so much about what haunts her sleep?

She sighs, a shaky breath leaving her mouth and whispers, "I have nightmares. They've been happening ever since I got to Neverland. I don't know why, but I keep dreaming the same thing over and over. I am running through the Neverwoods and a shadow is chasing after me and… it kills me." At her last words, he lets out a low growl and Wendy looks up.

Peter's body is _moving. Shaking. _A strange golden glow is emanating from him. Wendy swears for a second that she sees his body lift off of the bed, but it happened too fast for her to truly tell. His emerald eyes slowly turn to a golden tint and his hair flies wildly around him, even though there is no wind. Papers swirl around the room, creating a whirlwind, and Wendy shields her eyes with her hands.

Peter seems oblivious to all that happens around him. His eyes lock onto hers, but she can tell that his mind is somewhere far away that she could never reach. Pure hatred fills the room. Broken glass and torn paper litter the floor. Wendy screams. "Peter!"

As if a flip has been switched, everything stops and the winds die down. She looks to Peter as he begins to relax. The strange glow fades away and the golden eyes turn back to his emerald ones. His body has stopped shaking, but his fists are still clenched tightly and there is still furious expression on his face.

They sit in silence and she can feel her heart pounding wildly in her chest. She sputters, trying to compose her thoughts, but nothing comes out. She has no idea what just happened, but she has never seen anything like it before. She does not recall her mother ever telling her that part about Peter Pan in her stories.

"W-what did you d-do?" She manages to ask after several moments of Peter watching her openly gape at him as though he were a sideshow attraction.

He clenches his jaw and she catches the subtle twitch. "Nothing you need to concern yourself with."

She immediately begins to protest, but he cuts her off. "I mean it, Wendy." She can tell that he is being completely serious for once. "Let it go. You and your brothers will be better off." It was a clever move on his part to bring her brothers into this. He knows that she would never do anything that would potentially put them in harm's way.

She opens her mouth to speak, but he interrupts her yet again and she groans rather audibly in frustration. Peter pretends as though did not hear a single thing. "You are to stay with me every night. This is nonnegotiable."

Wendy stares in disbelief at his statement. Why would Peter want her with him? She was nothing more than a nuisance to him. Just a pawn to use and play before discarding. Why would he want her around?

"You can't be serious."

Peter raises his eyebrow in a silent challenge. "What makes you say that?"

"Because I am a bother to you," Wendy whispers, her eyes slightly downcast. For some unknown reason, the thought saddens her greatly.

Peter rolls his eyes at her dejected state. "Didn't we resolve this earlier tonight? I will not say it again."

And Wendy did not expect him to. But some small part of her wished that he would. She wanted another confirmation that she was not some object to him. She immediately buried that thought deep down, never to see the light of day.

Still, she was wanting something _more_ from him, she just did not know what. "Why must I stay here now every night?"

Peter stared at anything but her. His jaw was clenching and relaxing as if he were physically restraining himself from answering the seemingly simple question. After another minute had passed, he ground out, "I can keep the nightmares at bay."

She almost laughs. It seems a completely ridiculous notion that he could actually control her dreams. Although… as she thought more and more, she considers how many impossible things she has seen so far whilst in Neverland, a place that was never even meant to exist. After all she has observed, she supposes that to be able to manipulate a person's dream wasn't the most far-fetched idea anymore.

Instead of arguing, she nods her head, too exhuasted to truly care anymore. It was very early in the morning. The sun would not be up for another few hours and she was hoping that what Peter said was true. She greatly desired a deep sleep that did not contain horrifying nightmares of shadows and daggers.

She lies back down, burrowing herself underneath the soft pelts. Not a minute after she has closed her eyes, does Wendy feel an irresistable warmth seeping into her back, chasing away the chilling cold that comes from her nightmares. She startles for a moment when she feels the presence behind her, lying just mere inches from her body. She quietly sucks in a breath at the realization of how close they are to one another. If she were to lean back only slightly, they would be pressing against each other. The thought was entirely too tempting.

"Do not overthink this. I just don't want you screaming bloody murder and waking me up again."

Wendy smiles to herself. There was almost a certain comfort in hearing Peter's usual patronizing voice. It was something predictable. Dependable.

Wendy pauses and blinks. What was she thinking? Peter being dependable? _Comforting? _This was outrageous! She should not be having these thoughts about him! He was only to serve a purpose, and that was giving her and her brothers a way off the island.

She should not be finding his presence comforting. And she _most definitely _should not be wanting him to put his arms around her and hold her close to his chest. She has had these kind of thoughts before, and they never end well. She should stop. Now. But it was so very difficult to when she could feel his body heat seeping into her and know that he was only inches away from her.

She could not calm down her pounding heart, nor could she stop the incessant fidgeting as her mind begins to construct images of her and Peter pressed up against each other, as close as two people could possibly get. Their bodies melding into one another, rolling together like the waves of the sea. She could feel her blood pumping and an ache at her core that has begun to feel familiar whenever she was around Peter. Her thighs rub together, desperately trying to ease the pressure slowly building up inside of her. But no amount of movement gives her the relief she needs.

This went on for several minutes until she hears Peter growl behind her, "Stop moving or I will kick you to the floor."

Wendy immediately ceases her fidgeting, forcing herself to remain completely still, even though the ache between her legs has yet to subside. She stares at the floor below her, studying the grains and patterns in the wood, just to find anything that will take her mind away from her inappropriate thoughts. After a few minutes, she gives up on the floor. Wendy turns onto her back, peeking out of the corner of her eye to see if Peter was still awake. His back is to her and his shoulders rise up and down evenly, but she cannot tell if he is asleep. "Peter?" she whispers in the dark. She does not expect him to respond, but she is surprised to hear his annoyed, "What?"

Wendy hesitates for a moment, unsure whether she really wants to tell him, but she decides that she should, if only for the fact that talking about it might make her feel better. "I'm scared to fall asleep."

She does not hear anything for a moment, but then Peter grumbles, "They're just dreams, Wendy. None of it is real."

Some rational part of her knows that, but the other part of her is terrified to face that shadow again. "It feels real."

Peter groans. "I told you I would keep them away, alright? Now go to sleep."

Wendy nods, even though she knows he can't see her. She feels the inexplicable need to trust him, even though she hasn't the slightest clue why that is. She feels protected, as if nothing could harm her, so long as she was next to him. She sighs and turns onto her back again, not wanting to think anymore about the strange progression in her relationship with Peter. She simply hopes that she is able to get a few more hours of sleep before the sun has risen.

Wendy can confront Peter in the morning about what happened with his eyes and the unnatural glow radiating from his body. Until then, sleep was her greatest concern. Her eyes become heavier from the exhaustion of all that has transpired in the past day. She silently prays that for once, Peter was telling her the honest truth and could control her nightmares.

Wendy falls asleep, unaware of the emerald eyes on her slumbering figure.

* * *

This girl was going to be the death of him. It had taken him several hours just to fall asleep and not minutes later was he being woken up by a bloodcurdling scream that sent every hair on his body standing up. At first, he was irritated with her for waking him because of some foolish dream, but when she told him what the dream was, his irritation soon turned to fury.

How dare he? The fury Peter feels towards _him_ is unlike anything he has ever felt before. It consumes him, devours him, until all he feels is the need to kill this impudent mirror image of himself. How _dare_ he try to hurt her? Peter will find him, and when he does, he will pay severely for his actions. Peter refuses to let his crimes go unpunished. Anybody on this island knows that his word is law. He is the ruler. He is the king-not this pathetic shadow-self of his.

He has disobeyed Peter in the past and every time Peter was there to _show _him the error of his ways. But there was something different about this time. Peter wanted to tear his limbs off. He wanted to claw out his eyes. He wanted to stand over the shredded remains of his mirror image and laugh at him, taking great pleasure in the fact that he had destroyed him. Peter has been around for awhile and very few times has he ever felt such unbridled rage. It was disconcerting to say the least.

He always took pride in the amount of control he had over his emotions. But when he heard of what his shadow was doing to her, something inside him snapped and he momentarily lost control of the tight leash he kept on his powers. They had spilled out of him, causing chaos and destruction as always. But the problem this time was that Wendy was there with him. He had hoped to keep her in the dark about everything, but somehow she had managed to slip behind his defenses, wiggling her way through until she reached a place that he never allowed anyone to see. It was unsettling to know that this girl had seen a part of him that no one has seen in several centuries. And it was all her fault.

Peter, now sitting up in bed, looks down at the troublesome girl. She had turned over in her sleep, now facing him, and Peter shoves down the small part of him that enjoys knowing she had moved towards him while unconscious. What was this girl _doing_ to him? He was having thoughts that he should not be thinking and he was doing things that he should not be doing. He has been _feeling _things he should not be feeling. _Why?_ Ever since this _child _has arrived in Neverland, he has been acting differently and he does not like it. He needs to rid himself of her, but he doesn't know how.

He doesn't even think he could now looking at her sleeping form. He studies her face. Her long eyelashes, button nose, and full lips… Those lips would most certainly be the death of him. There have been countless times when he would catch himself staring at those lips and want them to be on his. His heartbeat picks up just thinking about it.

He shakes his head. He needs to get this girl out of his head. He must remember his plan. Once he has her writhing underneath him in pleasure, he can finally be rid of her. Toss her aside and move on. That should eradicate any thoughts or _feelings_ he might have. His mouth quirks up at the promise of what's to come. He was going to enjoy this immensely.

He hears a small gasp that immediately catches his attention. He is on guard, ready to eliminate any danger, only to silently scold himself for becoming so tense. She was probably only having another nightmare. His jaw clenches. He will destroy his pathetic shadow-self. Tonight. He does not want to keep waking up in the middle of the night to her screaming bloody murder, although it's not like he could sleep much this night. The thought of her sleeping in his bed, wearing his clothes and smelling her arousal seeping from her was almost too much for him. It took him hours to calm down his pounding heart and restrain himself from reaching over and taking her, much to his displeasure. He was countless millennia old, how could he be acting like a lustful teenager! It was utterly embarrassing.

He hears another gasp, followed by a short whine. This peaks his interest. He examines her closely and notices that her hands are now grasping the furs tightly. Her body is moving, fidgeting. He can see her thighs are rubbing together and can smell the distinct scent of arousal in the air. A knowing smirk pulls at his lips. She is not having a nightmare. She is having a _very _good dream.

It requires every ounce of control he has to restrain himself from taking her right there and then. He turns away and closes his eyes, clenching his fists so that he is not tempted. But it is so very tempting. She is _right there_ and so clearly wanting. It would be so easy for him to take her, but something holds him back. He wants for he to enjoy herself when they finally join. He wants to give her pleasure she has never imagined possible. And most importantly, he wants to be the _only _to give it to her.

From behind him, he can hear her whimpers that have slowly progressed into soft moans. His hands grip the pelts so tightly, he is surprised that they are not ripped to shreds by now. Just when he is about to simply leave and go sleep somewhere else for the remainder of the night, he hears something that catches his breath and stalls his departure.

"...ter… "

He opens his eyes and turns around, looking down at her to see that Wendy is smiling in her sleep. She sighs. "Peter…"

His heart has stopped altogether. He reaches forward without thinking, his finger brushing across her cheek and another sigh escapes her as she leans into his touch. He pulls his hand away, as though he were burned. _Is she… dreaming about me?_

His mind has gone blank except for one word that sings through his blood and urges him out of the bed. _Protect._ He slips on his jacket and boots, refusing to look back as he steps out into the cool night air.

He is going to find his shadow and when he does, he will tear it to shreds.

* * *

The light streaming in through the windows momentarily blinds Wendy as she squints and holds up a hand to block the bright rays. She shivers in the crisp morning air and glances to her left to see that Peter is no longer beside her. She tries to ignore the swelling disappointment that weighs her down. Of course he wouldn't stay with her. What was she thinking? He probably just woke up and left, eager to start his day of mischief and cruelty.

She glances around Peter's room. Everything is as it should be. There is no broken glass or scattered papers that would indicate anything had happened last night, but she knows she was not imagining this. Peter was glowing and the wind was howling inside his bedroom. His eyes had turned gold. There was no possibility that she could have dreamed that, though by the state of his room, it was looking that way.

She sighs to herself and hops out of the bed, her bare feet touching the cold floorboards. She shivers and reaches for her jacket only to realize that she is still in Peter's clothes and hers were nowhere to be seen. Where did he put all of her clothes? Did he not grab them from the lake when he saved her yesterday? She grumbles to herself. _He probably did this on purpose so I would have no choice but to wear his clothes. _She puts on her boots-the only thing that Peter did seem to grab-and leaves the house, determined to find Peter and confront him about last night and her missing clothes.

Wendy thinks back to last night. Peter seemed furious when she told him about her dream. What did she say to upset him like that? It was just a dream-he told her as much himself! But why was he irate when she told him about it? He started glowing! There are a lot of things about Peter that she knows he isn't telling her and she is determined to uncover them all.

All the other boys have already sat down and are enjoying their morning meal. But when Wendy enters the room, utensils clatter on the table and all conversations stop. Every boy has their eyes on her and she hears whispers and giggling as she sits down in her usual seat. Her cheeks turn a rosy pink from the attention.

Wendy notices Felix has not said a word to her. He only glares intensely at the bowl in front of him, unmoving. She hopes that him and Peter have resolved whatever conflict there was between them. She wants things to get back to normal-athough she is not even sure what normal is anymore. And it probably is not helping matters that she is only wearing Peter's clothes, which is fairly obvious to everyone at the table.

"Good morning, Felix," she says cheerfully, attempting to make polite conversation and rid the thick tension in the air.

"Hello, Wendy," he says with cold indifference.

"Are you all right?" She does not know what is the matter with him, but she is not sure that she likes this uncomfortable tension between them.

He stiffens and says, "Why wouldn't I be?"

She is not sure how to respond to that and decides that she should not say anything. Felix then says, "Did you sleep well?" Before she can respond he says, his voice dripping with sarcasm, "I notice that you're wearing Peter's clothes."

Wendy gasps indignantly and begins to stutter out an explanation, but he cuts her off before she can even open her mouth.

"No, I understand. You can do what you want with him. I don't care."

The cruelty in his harsh words pierces her heart and she winces, but Felix is not done talking. "You know he can't love, right? He is physically incapable of it. He will never care for you the way you obviously care for him. He will just end up shattering your heart and sending you home so your family is left picking up the pieces."

Wendy starts to defend herself, but Felix abruptly gets up, his chair scraping the floor and causing everyone to look their way. He storms past everyone, not bothering to acknowledge any of the boys. Before he leaves, he turns and says callously, "You might want to wear your _own _clothes before you get to breakfast, otherwise everyone will know that you've been sleeping with Peter."

All heads turn towards Wendy and her face burns a dark crimson, humiliation and embarassment making her want to curl up under the table and cry.

What Felix was implying isn't true, she knows that, but it still makes her feel disgusted at herself. Now all the boys who are old enough to understand what he was talking about will think that her and Peter were _together _last night. She feels ashamed of herself. She should have known better than to allow Peter to persuade her into sleeping in his room last night. She should have known that there would be consequences, but whenever she is around him, she loses all sensible thought. And right now, she wishes more than anything that he were there with her to defend her against all the boys who were now giggling and whispering behind hands about her.

The thought startles her. Why is she missing him? It is a ridiculous notion that she should not be thinking, but no matter how she looks at it, it is undeniable that she misses Peter Pan. She shakes her head. This was a very strange morning indeed. She hears more snickering and decides that she should not have to be here listening to their mockery. She gets up, ignoring the hushed talking behind her. She sees John and Michael a few seats down and walks towards them, trying to put a bright smile on her face in an attempt to distract them from the chatter at the table.

"Peter is supposed to be taking me swimming today. Would you care to join us?" Wendy asks cheerily. She cannot remember the last time her and her brothers got to play and talk with each other and just behave like normal siblings. With her spending so much time around Felix and Peter, she has hardl had the time to see her brothers and she misses them greatly.

Michael's eyes light up and he is about to rise from his seat when John puts a hand on his arm, staying him. John looks at her with the most disgust she has ever seen from him. Usually, her brother was a sensible and level-headed boy, but what she saw from his expression was anger and revulsion.

"How could you do that, Wendy?" John whispers rather loudly, drawing attention from the other boys around the table.

"Do what?" She replies, avoinding his judgemental gaze.

"You know… _that_… with Peter." John may have matured these past few years, but he was still just a boy who was repulsed at any intimacy-even between their parents.

Wendy tries to explain that her and Peter did nothing but sleep after her almost drowning from mermaids and being rescued by him, but it was quite a long story and John cut her off before she could even begin.

"Stop. I don't want to hear excuses. What would Mother and Father say?" His tone is patronizing and she suddenly feels like she is a small child again.

"But I didn't-" Wendy starts, but John stops her again.

"Just go."

Micheal looks as though he wants to go with her, but John keeps his grip firm on his younger brother as they let their sister walk out with her head down, ashamed at her own behavior. Before she even has the chance to take a step outside, Peter staggers inside the room. All of the Lost Boys stand up immediately, shocked at the state their leader is in.

Peter is leaning heavily on the door frame and a sheen of sweat covers his forehead. His body is trembling, as though it could no longer support itself. His clothes have been torn to shreds and there is a dark red stain on his abdomen, spreading by the second. _Blood. _The fluid drips down onto the floor, staining the wood a deep red. He lifts his head shakily to see Wendy in front of him and his eyes lock on hers only for a moment.

"Wendy," he moans, and then his eyes roll back in his head and he collapses to the floor.

**Author's Notes: DUH DUH DUH! I'm sorry about the cliffhanger, but it was just too good to pass up on! Anyways, did you guys like this chapter? I'm letting everyone know now that things will probably heat up in the next chapters so you have been warned! I did rate this fanfiction mature for a reason! **

**What does everyone think? Things are starting to heat up a bit for Wendy and Peter and I am absolutely loving this! Fair warning: I probably won't be posting the next chapter very soon. I am super busy this next week and I won't have a lot of time to write, but I will do my best! Please keep reading and reviewing! I love hearing everybody's thoughts! Until next time!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Author's Notes: Wow guys, it has been awhile, but I want to thank you for your patience! I'm sorry for leaving on the cliffhanger, but it was too good to resist! I really hope you guys like this chapter! Make sure to pay attention to this one because there are some reveals here! Without further ado, here is Chapter 9!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the OUAT characters, however the story is entirely my own : )**

**Chapter 9**  
Wendy stares down at him. She has never seen him asleep before. He looks so much younger, as though he is no longer carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders. His face is relaxed, his cruel smirk no longer gracing his lips. His golden hair is disheveled and his mouth is parted, inhaling softly and slowly. He looks like a child. A lost child.

Peter twitches in his sleep and begins to stir. His eyebrows and mouth turn down and his arms reach out, straining for something that only he can see. Without thinking, Wendy gently places her hands on his arms and pushes them back down on the bed. She grabs a cloth and dips it into a bucket filled with water that the Lost Boys had gotten for her before dabbing his forehead with the cool water, wiping away the sweat that has appeared on his brow. Peter moans.

When he collapsed on the floor, her heart had stopped. She stood frozen as her mind erased any and every thought until all that was left was him. The fear that Peter had died consumed her completely. She didn't want him to die. That was the only thing racing around in her head. He could not die.

The Lost Boys were upon him within seconds. Several of the older ones, including Felix and John, gently gathered around him and with a reverence that would not be seen amongst most children, lifted him delicately. They carried Peter solemnly out the door as though in a funeral procession, the younger boys trailing behind anxiously, leaving just Wendy and Michael to stand in silence.

Wendy stood there, as still as a stone statue, unfeeling and unmoving. She was numb to her youngest brother grasping her hand tightly, his small and sweaty palms clinging to her desperately. She could not offer any comfort. For the first time, her family was not the most prevalent thought in her mind. It was Peter. She reminisced about every cruel thing he had spoken, every wicked smirk he had given. Every burning touch he had taken.

She had barely heard Michael whisper to her in the silence of the empty room, with innocent eyes and quivering lips, "I don't want him to die."

_Me neither… _

Michael had eventually departed, leaving Wendy to wallow in her despair alone. After what could have been minutes or hours, she heard approaching footsteps and looked up with a dazed expression to see Felix standing in front of her.

"You should go see him. He's been asking for you." There was not an ounce of the anger she had seen earlier.

Wendy nodded. Her body felt as though it was moving of its own accord, her mind somewhere far away. She walked past Felix and briefly glanced into his eyes, feeling uneasy when all she saw was pity, for herself or Peter, she could not be sure.

When she entered Peter's house, most of the Lost Boys were already there, huddling around the large bed in the center with grim expressions on their faces. When she stepped inside the crowded room, all eyes turned to her and as one, they filed out, leaving just her and the still boy laying on the bed. Wendy took a hesitant step towards him, unsure of what to say. But she found that she didn't need to say anything.

Peter was fast asleep, his chest rising and falling steadily, wrapped underneath strips of white cloth soaked through with blood.

Something peculiar happened when she saw Peter lying there, helpless and vulnerable. A strange ache resonated from deep within her, as though it physically pained her to see him like that. The thought was ridiculous and she shoved it aside to be dissected later. For now, she just wanted to sit by his side and watch over him.

And there she was, several hours later, still watching over him. Wendy sighs when she looks out the window to see that afternoon light was pouring into the room, painting herself and Peter in a golden glow. She brushes a stray lock of hair away from his closed eyes and caresses his cheek gently without thinking. A small sound escapes his lips, somewhere between a moan and a sigh, but it spreads throughout her body and causes her to shudder. She immediately pulls her hand away.

Standing there in the middle of the room, Wendy was unsure of what to do. She wants an explanation. She wants answers. But another part of her wants to stay here. By Peter's side.

Another groan escapes his lips and she turns towards him, torn between staying or leaving. She clenches her fists. _Peter will be fine. He is strong. _This is what she told herself as she crosses the threshold, her steps steady and sure, even if her mind was not. When she reaches the door, Wendy hesitates for a moment, looking back to the boy in the bed, his skin glistening with a thin sheen of sweat and blood seeping through the bandages, staining the white cloth red. _He will be fine._

With a newly hardened resolution, she walks purposely to the one person she knows who can help her solve the mystery around Neverland. She barges through the door, not bothering to knock. She finds him sitting at his desk, pouring over maps of what Wendy believes to be the island. He looks up at her, seemingly unfazed with her sudden appearance.

"Tell me what is going on."

Felix does not say anything. The only sign that he even heard her is the clenching of his jaw. He turns around and gestures towards the bed.

Wendy sits down and stares studies him. Felix looks exhausted, as though the weight of time was pressing down on him. "First question."

She races through everything she has ever wanted to ask since she arrived on this island. The shadows, her nightmares. Everything. But what came out of her mouth surprised her. "Is Peter going to be all right? What happened to him?" She flinches at the concern in her voice and the tension in her words.

Felix visibly winces, as though the thought of what injured Peter physically pained him. "He will… recover with time. He just needs rest."

She glares at him and his vague answer. "Felix, that's not an answer. I want the truth. _All of it._"

He drags his hands through his hair, frustrated. "There are things I cannot say-at least… not without Peter's permission."

"Why," she shouts, growing exasperated. "Why do you all blindly obey Peter? Why do you care for him so much?" She thinks back to when he collapsed by the door. The Lost Boys had cared for him and lifted him with such reverence. They had all grown solemn and silent. The boys who spend their hours fighting and yelling and laughing had turned silent.

Felix stares intensely at the ground, refusing to meet his gaze as he whispers, "He saves us."

"Saves you from what?"

Felix lifts his gaze to look at her, his slate eyes cold and hard. "The shadows."

A shiver runs down her spine from those two words. _The shadows. _Cautiously, she says, "Felix, what _can_ you tell me?"

He sighs in resignation. "I'll say what I can." He pauses a moment to breathe deeply, as if bracing himself for what he was about to do. He was dancing on a very fine line. A very dangerous line.

"There is not much that is known about Peter Pan. He trusts no one with his secrets and he has told me little. What I do know is that he is very old and very powerful. He was the first person on Neverland. I was the second. I do not know how I got here or why-no one does, and Peter does not tell any of us. We have no memory of our life before Neverland. This island slowly takes away your memories of everything you once were."

A faint smile pulls at his lips as he whispers, "I do have one memory, but it is faded and I'm not even sure if it is real. But I remember long, golden hair and a soft voice singing."

Wendy does not urge him to continue his story about Peter. She knows that wherever Felix has gone within his mind, she should not disturb him. The room is silent for another moment until Felix seems to remember where he was and shakes his head, ridding the whispers of sweet lullabies and soft caresses from his mind. His gaze hardens once more.

"A couple decades ago, Lost Boys began to go missing. They were disappearing and no one could find them. Then, one day, Peter and I were by the shores of Mermaid Lagoon, searching for mermaid scales… when we saw them. The shadows."

Wendy sucks in a breath. "What happened?'

Felix chuckles darkly. "What do you think? We fought them off. Tore them to shreds until there was nothing left of them. But Lost Boys were still going missing and Peter and I scoured the entire island in search of them and the shadows. It was only several days later when we realized what the shadows were." Felix stops, unable to keep out the emotion thick in his throat.

"What were they, Felix?" Wendy urdges, needing to know the answer that has been clawing at her for days.

Felix's eyes bore into hers. "Lost Boys. The shadows were Lost Boys."

Wendy gasps, but Felix continues. "There is a darkness here, Wendy. Something vile and wicked that is corrupting the island and Peter cannot stop it. It has been turning Lost Boys into dark shadows and there are more every day. Neverland is dying."

Wendy flies from the bed, placing her hands on her hips indignantly. "Why can't you leave? If Neverland is dying as you say, surely you all need to get off the island. There must be families that miss you dearly. You could go back to your homes."

He laughs darkly, no humor in his tone. "You don't get it, do you? We can't go back to our families. We don't remember them. And even if we did, all of us have been here for hundreds of years-there would be no one who would even be alive to remember us!"

"You're centuries old," she whispers. She cannot wrap her mind around the idea of someone living for such a long time. How could a person stay young for that long?

"Felix," she hedges. "You said that Peter is the first person to ever step foot on Neverland. How old is he?"

He shakes his head. "I told you, I don't know. He never tells me anything about his past. But if I had to guess, he must be countless millennia old."

_Countless millennia. _Peter has lived for thousands of years. How is that even possible? It couldn't be. It _shouldn't _be. It is against all rules of nature. "_How?_"

Felix rolls his eyes, clearly annoyed with how oblivious she was. "Have you not realized it by now? Can you not tell what this place is made of?"

She stays silent.

He sighs. Felix leans toward her and speaks slowly and clearly so there could be no misunderstandings. "_Neverland is magic._ It is at the very heart of the island and it flows throughout everything, even the smallest insect. That is how we stay young forever. The magic within this place keeps us from ever aging. It is how Peter is so old, yet looks no more than seventeen."

Wendy hesitates. "Peter has a… connection to the island."

Felix shakes his head, cutting her off from finishing her thought. "I don't know and even if I did, I would not be allowed to tell you. What I can say is that he is connected to Neverland in a way that I will never understand. It is why I know that he will not die from his injuries."

"How did he get those wounds?"

Felix clenches his jaw and looks away from her intense gaze. "That, I am not allowed to say and neither are any of the other Lost Boys."

She wants to scream in frustration when another thought occurs to her. "Felix, why was I brought to the island? I am not a boy."

He shakes his head. "I'm not sure. I have been wondering about that myself for the past few days and I can't seem to find any reason why Peter would want you on the island-he is the one who chooses what boys come to Neverland. But I don't know how he does it."

Wendy feels a glimmer of hope. "But there is a way on and off the island?"

"Of course, but Peter is the only one who knows how to do it and can." Felix can already see her mind working with ways of escape for her and her brothers and he instantly stops her from formulating any plans. "But you cannot leave!"

She crosses her arms over her chest and raises her brow in skepticism. "And why not?"

"Because you need Peter's permission to leave the island and that is the one thing that he will never give you."

Confusion knots her brow. "Why won't he let me leave?"

Felix clenches his fists. "Because," he grinds out. "He has grown… attached to you." He spits the words as if they were poison and cause him physical harm to say.

"I don't understand…"

Felix runs his hands through his hair in frustration. "What do you not understand? Peter will never let you go. He has claimed you as his. You are his new shiny plaything that he does not want to give up."

Wendy is lost in a daze from those words that have made her body quiver. _He has claimed you as his._

"My brothers and I have to get off this island. We have to get back home," she whispers, more to herself than to Felix.

"Until Peter no longer wants you here, you are trapped on this island."

Wendy lifts her head and stares into slate eyes that yield no compassion. "And if you try to escape, we will all pay dearly for it."

* * *

Wendy did not know what Felix meant when he said that the Lost Boys would be punished for her leaving. But all plans that she had been creating in her mind vanished almost instantaneously. She could not hurt the Lost Boys. She has grown to care for them, more than she would like to admit. Their boisterous laughing and unwavering curiosity has carved a path straight to her heart and she could not imagine ever causing any of them harm. But still, the thought of staying on Neverland makes her stomach knot and her body curl in on itself, hiding from whatever lurks out in the Neverwoods beyond the safety of the encampment.

She has always been wary of Peter ever since he found her in the middle of the clearing from what feels like so long ago. But now she knows that there are far worse things that roam the island, more monstrous and evil than Peter could ever be. And they used to be human.

Wendy puts her hand to her mouth to cover the sob that escapes her lips when she thinks of the fact that those terrifying shadows used to be boys. How did they become that? Who could do such a cruel thing to such innocent children? It sickens and terrifies her to know that her brothers could become like that. Could turn into such twisted monsters. Her desire to leave the island has never been stronger than in that moment from the desperation she feels to save her brothers.

But it's impossible. Felix said so herself. The only way to leave is to get Peter's permission. _He has claimed you as his._ Why does she keep thinking to that? Those words continue to swirl around her head endlessly and any time she decides to consider them, her stomach flutters and her palms moisten in nervous anticipation.

Wendy pauses on her careless wandering when she notices the sun has begun to set. She sighs and turns in the direction of Peter's home, hoping that when she arrives, he will be awake so she can finally see his emerald eyes and charming smile once again. The thought startles her. More and more thoughts like these have begun to surface and they frighten her more than they should. She cannot be caring about Peter. She must get home to her family. She should not be spending her days lost in fantasies of her and Peter. Even if they are entirely tempting.

She reaches the door and feels the urge to knock. What if he was awake and did not want to be disturbed? What if he was undressed? Images of last night floated into her mind of silver moonlight shining down on smooth and muscular skin that she wanted to map every inch of with her fingers. Wendy shakes her head. She was being ridiculous.

She opens the door and steps inside.

Her heart stops. Her breathing stops. The whole world stops. Then, it restarts. But slower this time, as if everything were moving through water.

Peter is still sound asleep. His bandages must have been changed while she was gone because no longer are they stained with blood. His lips are slightly parted as he breathes deeply and soundly.

He is completely unaware of what stands beside his bed. But Wendy is.

She sees the shadow. The one that brought her to Neverland. She sees the glimmering dagger it holds in its hand. She sees the wide, sinister grin it gives her. And she also sees the shadow turn to Peter and plunge the dagger straight into his chest.

**Author's Notes: Don't hate me guys, but it's another cliffhanger! But I hope this chapter was worth the wait! I really loved this one and I hope you guys loved it too! Please let me know what you think! I am always open to hear your thoughts and opinions and they give me more motivation! So keep it up! Hopefully I will be able to post the next chapter faster than this one, so hang in there! Thank you to everyone who has continued to read this story! It means so much to me! Until next time!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Author's Notes: OMG, I am so excited to post this chapter! It is a personal favorite of mine and I can't wait to hear what you all think about it! Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the OUAT characters, however the story is entirely my own : )**

**Chapter 10**

"No!" The scream tears through her throat until she can no longer breathe. It is filled with such desperation and despair that she hardly recognizes her own voice.

The shadow turns to Wendy and slowly stalks towards her like a predator hunting prey. The emerald eyes that she would know anywhere shining brilliantly at her. Not a minute ago, she would have given anything to see those emerald eyes again. Now, she wishes nothing more for them to stop looking at her as though she were a meal to be devoured.

She backs away, searching around the room desperately for anything that could be used as a weapon, but comes away empty handed. The shadow continues its advance until it backs her into the wall, it's black mass hovering above her. She reaches out her hands in front of her in an attempt to push the shadow back, but she doesn't feel anything.

Wendy hesitantly opens her eyes and finds that her hands are inside the shadow. She waves her arms around and lets out a choked laugh. It's a shadow. And shadows do not have bodies.

She darts through the black mass, shivering when she feels a cold presence surround her, but it quickly disappears. Her eyes frantically search the room until they land on the dagger that is still lodged deep within Peter's chest, the handle pointing upwards, beckoning to be grasped. I'm sorry, she silently pleads as she races to the side of the bed and grimacing, grips the blade, pulling it from Peter's body. Wendy holds the dagger in front of her, the blade trembling within her hands. She slides in front of Peter, blocking him from the shadow's path.

The shadow stalks towards her. There is no longer any mischief in those emerald eyes, but irritation. It gets closer and closer until it is once again upon her, it's dark presence pressing against her. Even without a physical body, she can still feel him.

Wendy is terrified. Never has she raised a weapon against another living thing. She has always insisted on protecting all life and now, she cannot help but think that this shadow used to be a boy. And she is holding a dagger pointed straight at his chest. Her entire body is shaking and she bites her lip to keep it from trembling. She braces herself for an attack that is sure to come, but several tense seconds of silence pass and nothing has happened.

She hesitantly peers up at the shadow. He is staring back down at her, his emerald eyes studying her. He tilts his head, very much resembling the behavior of a confused dog. She would giggle if it weren't for the fact that she is completely terrified and Peter is dying behind her. Please hold on.

She focuses back on the shadow, still gazing at her curiously. She sucks in a breath, not daring to move, as he lifts a dark hand to her face. She flinches away instinctively, expecting pain, but when none comes, she hesitantly turns back to the shadow. With her heart beating rapidly in her chest, she stays completely still as he lifts his hand and caresses her cheek. She gasps when she feels the cold presence against her skin and is startled when the hand brushes a loose strand of her hair behind her ear.

The touch is gentle, soft. It shows no sign of aggression or fury that she was expecting. She only feels more than sees the confusion and curiosity from the shadow. "Who are you?"

The hand is still on her cheek, showing no intention to move from her skin. "Why did you bring me here?"

The other hand comes to rest right against her chest, over her pounding heart. "Why do you want to harm Peter?"

She is not expecting a reply. She is not even sure that shadows can talk. But what she isn't expecting is the animalistic growl that resounds through the room. She has little time to even blink before she is tossed across the space and lands harshly on the floor, her head hitting the wood. Hard. Stars dance across her vision and she tries to clear them as she looks to where she was standing not one second ago.

Wendy is sure that what she is seeing is a dream. It has to be. There is no reasonable explanation for how Peter is hovering several feet above his bed and glowing. It is the same thing that happened the previous night when she told Peter about her nightmares. He had glowed then, too. But not of this magnitude. And he definitely was not flying.

She watches in awe as he dives for the shadow, the two crashing to the floor. It is a tangle of limbs and fists. They are both moving so fast that her eyes cannot follow the swift movements. All Wendy can see is blurs of gold and black as the two boys fight brutally and savagely. She tries to right herself, but the hit to her head is making the room spin and she collapses back onto the ground in a heap, utterly helpless to stop the fight that is rampaging not three feet from her.

She cannot tell who is winning, she only prays that Peter would be all right. She is not even sure how he can be awake right now, let alone flying and fighting. He has suffered two very fatal wounds in less than a day and still manages to be throwing kicks and punches with such brutal strength. It should be impossible.

After what feels like an eternity of fighting, she hears Peter let out a powerful roar of frustration. She concentrates on focusing her blurred vision long enough so that she may see what Peter is about to do.

He opens his clenched fists and holds out what looks to be a golden globe of light, as if he were carrying the sun in the palm of his hand. Wendy stares in awe as he thrusts the bright light at the shadow. She raises her hands to cover her eyes from the almost blinding light emanating from Peter. Through her fingers, she can just make out the shadow slowly disintegrating, it's deafening shrieks piercing the room. Holes are burning through the dark form until there is nothing left but the echo of his cries.

Wendy stares in shock as Peter collapses onto the floor, his breathing ragged. His fists are still clenched and when he opens his eyes to look across the room to her, his eyes burn a furious golden flame, no longer the brilliant emerald green she has grown rather fond of.

She is lying immobile on the floor, either from the shock, fear, or pain, she did not know. Peter slowly and carefully makes his way over to her like one would approach a wounded animal. The golden glow that surrounded him slowly fades and his eyes return to the brilliant emerald green.

He crouches down next to her and gently places his hand on her cheek, the warmth seeping into her skin and Wendy instantly relaxes. She does not know how long they stay that way, with his hand on her cheek. But she chances a glance at his chest and her heart lurches into her throat.

There is so much blood. It has seeped through the bandages and it now paints his body in a gruesome visage. She immediately shoves his hand away and before he can protest, she grabs his arm and wraps it around her shoulder, guiding him to the bed. She can hear him grumble something about not being an invalid, but she chooses to ignore it. She almost would have laughed if it weren't for his ragged coughs and gasping breaths. She gently lays him down onto the bed and as she looks down at the blood soaking into the furs, she does not know what to do.

"I will go get Felix." Wendy makes to leave, but she stops when a hand grasps her arm, preventing her from taking another step. She turns to see that Peter is sitting up. It happened too fast for her to be sure, but she thought she saw a flicker of emotion in his eyes. Desperation.

"Don't leave." Was he… asking her to stay?

"But, Peter… I don't know what I'm doing."

He shrugs, the movement causing another wave of pain to crash through his entire body. Through gritted teeth, he says, "I'll tell you what to do. Just… don't leave." Her heart was pounding and she was sure that that was the only sound in the room as he stared at her with such an intensity, it made her legs wobble.

A chuckle runs past his lips in an attempt to release the building tension in the room. He winces at the searing pain. "Besides," he says, a small smirk playing at his lips. "Felix's bedside manners are sorely lacking." She rolls her eyes, slipping back into their usual routine, trying to ignore the moment they had just shared.

Wendy hesitantly comes around the bed and she can feel his eyes tracking her every movement, studying her intensely. When he comes to the conclusion that she is not leaving, he lets his eyes close, too exhausted to find the strength required to keep them open.

Sensing her unsurety, he says, "Peel… off the bandages." His breathing is ragged.

Wendy swallows nervously, her teeth biting her lower lip as her trembling hands lower to his heaving chest, covered in dirt and blood. Carefully, she removes the bandages, fighting the rising bile in her throat. The wound is so much worse than she could have ever imagined.

His skin has been torn to shreds and blood oozes out of the wounds in a steady stream. A large gash runs across his abdomen and another deep one is carved into his side, just below his ribs. It must have been where the shadow had stabbed him with the dagger. Her entire body is shaking as she looks at the gruesome scene in front of her. How can he even still be alive from something like this?

"Peter… " She has never dealt with anything like this before. She doesn't know what to do and the idea that her ineptitude could get him killed was making her extremely anxious. She needs to get help right away.

Peter must have been sensing this. "It'll be… fine," he whispers. "I'll… guide you through it."

Wendy nods her head, even though she knows he cannot see her. I can do this. He won't die. Everything will be alright. She repeats this over and over to herself as she continues to remove every last bloody bandage from around his torso, stopping any time Peter hisses between his teeth. He ushers her on, coaxing her to continue until his ravaged skin is completely bare for her.

"I need you to… clean the wounds." She looks to his face. She can see the beads of sweat rolling down his forehead and the unnatural paleness of his skin. He's getting worse. Gritting her teeth, she grabs a cloth and a water bucket and places it by the bed. Before she can think twice on what she is about to do, Wendy gently wipes the wet cloth across his torn flesh. Peter clenches his fists until his knuckles turn white and he lets out a low, miserable groan.

"I'm sorry," she pleads, her chest aching every time a moan escapes past his lips.

"It's fine. Keep… going." Wendy does. It was a slow and painful process and that ache in her chest only intensified as time passed. But she kept going until the dirt and blood had been wiped away and nothing remained except for the two deep and angry gashes on his torso.

"Good. Now just… put clean bandages on." She hesitates and looks around. With his eyes still closed, Peter says, "Dresser. Top drawer."

Wendy crosses the room and pulls on the knobs, opening the drawer only to have her face burn a brilliant crimson. The bandages were nestled amongst Peter's trousers. She stares at the clothes for longer than she really should until she hears faint chuckling from behind her. Her cheeks are on fire as she quickly grabs the roll of bandages and shuts the drawer.

She ignores the soft laughter as she delicately places her hands on his feverish skin. The laughter stops abruptly and both of them are silent as Wendy's fingers dance across his torso and abdomen, wrapping the wounds with layers of cloth.

She should not be enjoying this. She should not be enjoying running her hands across his skin. She should not be enjoying the hitching of Peter's breath whenever her hands accidentally brush lower. No, she should not be enjoying this one bit.

Wendy releases a breath she didn't know she was holding when she finally finishes bandaging Peter. Her fingers linger on his skin more than necessary, not wanting to leave the warmth they have found there. But she lets go and collapses into a chair, releasing the tension and anxiety that has been plaguing her ever since she stepped into this room.

She sighs, letting her heart slow down to a steady pulse while she listens to Peter's breathing. His eyes are closed and it looks as if he might be asleep, but his skin is no longer sickly pale and his temperature has cooled down considerably.

She watches him sleep peacefully, admiring the way his wild, golden hair frames his face. He is rather attractive, she thinks to herself. There was no denying the fact that she was drawn to him. He stirs something deep inside of her that she cannot explain nor define. But it is becoming more and more prevalent the longer she is with him. She has tried to stop it, but she can't whenever she sees his mischievous smirk or fiery green eyes. And at night when his back is facing her and she can trace all of the muscles in the silvery moonlight…

"What are you thinking about, Wendy?" She snaps out of her daze and looks to see that Peter is sitting up in bed, a knowing smile on his face. Her cheeks burn a deep shade of crimson and she looks away quickly, fidgeting with her fingers in her lap.

"N-Nothing." She inwardly berates herself for the trembling in her voice.

Peter lifts an eyebrow and opens his mouth to speak, but she cuts him off before he can get another word out at her expense. "Who was that shadow? Why was he trying to kill you?"

His eyes harden, no longer alight with amusement, and his mouth becomes a grim line. "Felix told you."

Suddenly feeling frightened for her friend, she blurts out, "He didn't tell me everything and I pushed him."

"I know. He would never disobey my orders." Wendy stays silent while Peter sighs. He drags a hand down his face, completely exhausted. "You won't let this go, will you?" She shakes her head and he almost laughs. He finds that he has been doing that a lot recently. Laughing. And it was always around her. She was… entertaining.

Wendy can see the debate inside Peter's head on how much he should tell her. "That shadow," he says. "Isn't like the others."

"What do you mean?"

"I am assuming that Felix told you about who those shadows used to be?" Wendy nods. "Well, you can rest assured that that one was not a Lost Boy."

She was confused. She had thought that all of the shadows used to be Lost Boys. When she voiced as much, Peter shook his head. "Did it not occur to you that someone actually has to create all of them? Lost Boys don't just turn into soulless monsters on their own." Wendy shivers, remembering the one from her dreams.

"So… you're saying that the shadow you killed was the one creating all of the others?"

Peter shook his head. "I didn't kill that shadow for good."

Her brow scrunched in confusion. "But, I thought that-"

"They are shadows, Wendy. Nothing can kill them-at least, nothing that I know of."

"Then what do we do?" she whispers. The situation seems hopeless. There were hundreds of shadows roaming around the Neverwoods and there was no way of ridding them. It pains her to think about killing what once were Lost Boys. Innocent children who were taken away and turned into monsters. Perhaps there was a way to revert them back…

"It's impossible, Wendy."

She looks to Peter and sees something that almost looks akin to sympathy in his eyes. "There is no way to make them human again." She detects a note of sadness in his voice, almost as though he were actually missing the boys who were truly gone.

"Peter?"

"Hmm?" She can tell he is growing tired, fatigue and pain wearing him down slowly.

"How do you fly?"

He smiles as his eyes glaze over, his mind travelling somewhere far away where she cannot reach. "I've forgotten how… I think," he muses to himself. "Someone once told me that all you need to do is… think a happy thought."

Think a happy thought? "But, Peter. That makes no sense. How-" She is cut off by the sounds of light snoring. Wendy startles as she looks to the bed and sees that Peter has fallen fast asleep, his lips parted slightly and his hair tousled in every direction. Another snore echoes throughout the silent room and she holds a hand to her mouth to cover a giggle.

She was beginning to see more sides to Peter that she never thought existed. There were times where emotions would flash in his eyes only to be immediately masked behind a wall of arrogance. But they were there, no matter how hard he tried to pretend otherwise. Wendy often found herself searching in that gaze for what lay hidden underneath the facade.

She wishes that he would not deny his emotions. She wants him to open up to her. She wants him to share his personal thoughts and feelings and ideas with her. She wants him to be close to her in a way that she has never wanted another and it thrills yet terrifies her.

When she first arrived on Neverland, she wanted nothing more than to slap him for the insults and cruelty that he had shown her. Then, she wanted to get close to him for the sole purpose of finding a way off the island for her and her brothers. Now, what she wants from him is much more innocent. Pure. With no ulterior motives.

She wants him to care for her.

Her heart pounds rapidly at the admission. Her mind tells her to refuse. To turn around and walk away from the warmth flowing throughout her body. But she knows that she cannot ignore the feeling that grows stronger the more she is around him.

When she saw him collapse at the door, blood pooling beneath him, her world had stopped. Her entire body had gone numb. The only thought that was running through her head was Please don't die. She did not-could not-imagine her world with Peter Pan no longer in it. He had wrapped her around his finger effortlessly and she was caught in his cage. There was no escape for her now.

She was trapped.

* * *

The world has gone dark and he cannot see. Not the ground he walks on nor the sky above him. Oblivion surrounds and suffocates him. He cannot breathe.

He cannot breathe.

He cannot breathe…

He is brought to his knees as his entire body goes numb. He feels so heavy and he is so very tired. He would like to go to sleep… it would feel so nice to just rest for a moment… his eyes begin to close and he plummets head first into a dreamless sleep… but something stops him. He hears a noise. It's quiet at first, but grows louder and louder until it reverberates throughout his entire body. "No!"

It was a voice. Her voice. Wendy…

As soon as he opened his eyes, he knew something was very wrong.

Standing at the foot of his bed was a trembling girl pointing a bloody dagger at his shadow.

He ignored the searing pain that was coursing throughout his entire body, setting all of his nerves ablaze. He ignored the fiery inferno of his power, screaming at him to lose control and devour everything. The only thing that he could see through his blind fury was his shadow laying a hand on Wendy. His Wendy.

His shadow was touching what does not belong to him!

He knew the tight leash he kept on his power was slipping and he paid it no mind. His hands clenched into tight fists and he felt himself lift from the bed. Without thinking, he dove for his shadow, pushing Wendy aside and out of his shadow's reach. He opened up his palm, feeling the familiar pulse of his power coursing through his body and concentrating in his hand. He looked down to see the distinct golden ball of light and smiled menacingly at his shadow.

He was going to enjoy this.

* * *

After that, his mind had gone blank. He does not remember much except for burning pain being chased away by soft, gentle hands. He had drifted off to sleep, being comforted by those delicate hands. But his dream was not nearly as pleasant.

_"Peter!"_

_He kept running. "Peter! Where are you going?"_

_He ignored her._

_He didn't want to talk to her. She was betraying him. They all were. But as fast as he was running, she was faster flying. She caught up to him in no time, planting her hands on her knees and breathing heavily while he stood with his arms crossed, refusing to look at her. Stubborn as always._

_"Why… do you run… from me?" she asked between gasping breaths. He remained silent._

_She sighed. "Peter…"_

_"I don't want to talk to you! To any of you!" He was angry and hurt. They were casting him off. He would never see them again. "You're abandoning me just because I'm different!"_

_Her green eyes widened. "Peter, that's not true. We all love you."_

_Angry tears were running down his face. He did not bother to wipe them away. He wanted her to see that she was hurting him, so she would always feel ashamed for what they were going to do. "Then why are you sending me away?"_

_She smiled sadly at him. "We are fading, Peter. Humans do not believe in magic anymore." She pointed a delicate finger at his chest. "You have the heart of the truest believer. You are the only one who can preserve the last remains of magic before it completely disappears forever."_

_He sniffles. "But I don't have any magic like the rest of you."_

_She smiled. "Peter, you are the child of both worlds and the truest believer. You have more power than you will ever know."_

_"But I can't even fly. I don't have wings like you."_

_"You don't need wings, Peter. All you need to do… is think a happy thought."_

_He smiled brightly at her. "Then I'll just think of you."_

_Her heart was breaking. She knew that sending him away would ensure the survival of magic, but she would miss him dearly. He was her best friend. She loved his natural curiosity and adventurous spirit. She loved the mischief they caused together. But he was their only hope._

_He ran to her, wrapping his arms around her slender waist and she smiled into his unruly, golden hair. "I will miss you, Peter. More than you will ever know."_

_Another tear slid down his cheek. "I'll miss you too, Tink."_

**Author's Notes: What do you think? I really love this chapter and I hope all of you do, too! Please let me know what you think! I love hearing your thoughts and opinions and it motivates me to update faster! **

**Anyways... things are slowly starting to progress between Peter and Wendy. I probably should have warned you all that this is definitely a slow burn, but for all of you who have been waiting for Peter and Wendy to FINALLY get together... you'll have to wait a little longer! BUT there is definitely some more mature content in the next chapter so hang in there everybody! Please let me know what you guys think! Until next time!**


	11. Chapter 11

**Author's Notes: Can you guys believe it's already December? Anyways, this chapter has more mature content in it. You have been warned! And it is a longer one! Yay! As always, I hope you all enjoy the chapter and let me know what you think! **

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the OUAT characters, however the story is entirely my own : )**

**Chapter 11**

No one knows that the shadow attacked Peter and Wendy feels that she should tell the Lost Boys immediately all that she has learned this night. But she does not want to leave Peter.

She is sitting by his bed, hesitant to join him under the warm furs and pelts. It feels improper to slip into his bed without him knowing. Instead, she wanders around the room.

She sifts through the maps that he has scattered across the table, each one covered in markings, no doubt searching for the missing Lost Boys. She opens a drawer in his dresser and studies the various daggers and bows and arrows placed inside. She continues around the room until her eyes land on a small shimmering object that rests on his nightstand in the far corner.

In the silvery moonlight she recognizes it almost immediately as an iridescent mermaid scale. Felix had said that he and Peter went to Mermaid Lagoon to find the scales, but what was the purpose? She remembers her being pulled underneath the water by the beautiful yet dangerous creatures. She can't imagine why anyone would want to keep returning. She would not even be alive right now if it weren't for Peter. He had saved her. Pulled her up from the bottomless depths and out of the mermaids' claws. The scale must be extremely valuable if Peter was willing to go to the lagoon to collect them.

So entranced by the beauty of the small object, Wendy fails to notice that Peter has begun to awaken from his fitful sleep.

"You can keep it if you want."

She whirls around to see him sitting upright in bed, a sheen of sweat coating his face. She rushes to his side, pressing a hand to his forehead. "How are you feeling, Peter? You have a fever. Do you want me to get you anything? A glass of water? Some broth?"

She is fussing over him, but she cannot help it. She is worried about him. It is a strange feeling that she has never felt before, but it twists her stomach into knots and makes her anxious. She quickly grabs a cloth and soaks it in water before placing it to Peter's brow. Their eyes lock and her heart skips a beat. She is incredibly close to him, leaning over him with her hand to his forehead. It would take very little to simply lean forward and press her lips to his. She can imagine that it would feel spectacular to feel his soft skin against hers, their bodies pushing against each other until they were as close as one could be to another…

She shakes her head to rid herself of such inappropriate thoughts. She should be concentrating on helping Peter recover, not daydreaming fantasies. So lost within her mind, she barely hears Peter say, "You can have the mermaid scale if you want. I don't need it."

She startles before looking to the scale that still rests on the nightstand, it's gleaming surface seeming to wink at her. "You don't mind if I have it?"

He shrugs his shoulders, flinching when his wounds ache at the movement. "I have no use for it."

"Then why did you get it?"

He averts his eyes from hers, opting to stare at the floorboards instead. "I thought I could use it. I can't."

Her brow knots in confusion. "How come?"

He rolls his eyes in exasperation. "Are you done with all of these questions?"

She is about to open her mouth with a smart reply, but then thinks better of it. Instead, the two stare at each other, each one assessing the other with a critical eye. It is Peter that breaks the tense silence. "I suppose I should thank you for defending me."

She has to blink twice before comprehending the fact that Peter Pan was expressing gratitude. Wendy opens her mouth to respond when he cuts her off again. "It was incredibly stupid, but… brave."

A deep crimson paints her cheeks at the compliment. "...Thank you, Peter. How are you feeling? Do you want me to change your bandages?"

He moves his legs to the side of the bed and begins to stand. She gasps and grabs onto his shoulders, urging him to lay back down. "Peter, you should not be trying to move about in your condition!"

He lightly grasps her wrists and moves them from his shoulders, gently placing her hands back by her sides. She tries to withhold her sudden intake of breath just from that simple touch. "Wendy, I'm fine."

"You cannot be fine. You're injuries were quite severe."

Peter rolls his eyes in exasperation and sighs. Keeping his gaze locked with hers, he deftly moves his hands down to his abdomen and removes the bandages with skilled ease. Tearing her eyes away from his burning emerald ones, she looks down to his torso and is utterly shocked to see that the two large, bloody gashes are almost completely gone. The only hint that they even existed are the faint pink lines marring his tanned, golden skin.

Without thinking, she places her hands on his torso, gently tracing the faint scars with her fingers. "Impossible," she whispers. The skin was so smooth. Soft. She becomes lost in the action of running her fingers along the muscular surface, wishing that she could trace and map out every inch of it.

Wendy is so lost within her own world of temptation, she fails to notice that Peter's breath is becoming heavier. Faster. It hitches every time her delicate fingers dip lower, brushing the outline of his pants.

Peter can feel himself losing control. She has no idea what she is doing to him. She is so innocent and pure that she cannot see how tight she has wound him. He needs her. Soon. _Now_. It was so close. She is right there, touching him with such gentleness. He could simply take her. Ravage her completely until her every thought is consumed by him. Then leave her shattered and broken. He could do it-he has done it before. But something is stopping him.

He feels a change inside of him. He does not want to simply take her forcefully and leave her destroyed. He wants to take his time. He wants her to enjoy herself. He wants to show her pleasures that she had never thought possible. And he wants to be the _only _one to show her such pleasures-of this he was most sure of.

He slides a finger down her cheek, revelling in the softness he finds there. This action startles Wendy, causing her to look up, her hands leaving his abdomen. Remembering herself, she blushes. Peter feels his lips turn up unintentionally at the coloring in her cheeks. He finds it endearing.

His hand grips her waist, pulling her body flush against his, his blood boiling at the gasp that escapes her. On instinct, Wendy places her hands on his shoulders, needing something to ground herself from the quivering of her legs.

They are pressed tightly against one another and she can feel Peter's muscular form underneath the layers of clothing that separate them. A shaky exhale is all she can manage when his other hand drifts down, resting low on the small of her back. She stares intently into his eyes which are downcast, revealing nothing as to how he feels in that moment.

Wendy barely has time to understand what is happening before Peter's lips are brushing against her jaw. Her eyelids flutter close as she sucks in a sharp breath at his mouth against her skin, trailing kisses onto her neck and collarbone. Her hands weave their way into his hair and she is surprised when a low groan escapes Peter as her nails scratch lightly on his skin.

Her hitched breathing and hesitant movements only seem to urge Peter onwards, his lips mapping every inch of her skin available to him. She gasps when his hands, once gripping her waist, begin to move over her body, brushing against her sides and sliding down to her legs before travelling back upwards.

His hands and mouth burn a path along her body and she cannot seem to gather any coherent thoughts. She knows that she shouldn't be doing this. This goes against everything that her parents have taught her. They would be so ashamed of her. But it is right there in front of her and she has wanted this for so long that to stop now seems almost impossible. So she casts aside every thought of her disapproving family and simply lets herself _feel_. His lips tracing a burning path along her collarbone. His teeth nipping her sensitive skin. His hands mapping every inch of her body.

Wendy's heart is beating rapidly inside her chest and her breathing is erratic from his scorching touches. But Peter does not seem to care. In fact, he seems more excited by the sounds of her soft gasps and sighs. His lips trace up her neck and along her jaw until he reaches his goal. His mouth hovers just shy from her own. If he were to move it only the slightest distance, they would be kissing. And Wendy wants it. Desperately.

She leans her head back to look into Peter's eyes and they lock gazes. She can see the burning passion and need, but there was something else there. Something more tender and sincere. It disappears before she can really identify the raw emotion, but she ignores it as she sees Peter's face inching closer towards hers, until she can feel his breath upon her face. On instinct, she closes her eyes and lifts her head, anxious for their lips to meet.

Just when she feels the slightest brush of his skin against hers, a sharp knock reverberates throughout the small room, followed by the unmistakable sound of a wooden door opening.

Peter immediately steps away from Wendy, already missing her soft heat. He growls. A deep, warning sound that rumbles from the back of his throat. He was _so close. _He could see her barriers crumbling with every brush of his lips against her skin. He could feel her arousal emanating from her, matching his own until the entire room was heady with their intense heat.

He slowly turns to the intruder, already imagining all of the ways that he could punish the poor soul who dared enter his room without knocking. His ire only rises when he sees Felix standing at the threshold, his slate eyes glancing between Wendy's flushed face and disheveled hair to his state of undress and obvious arousal. Peter can almost see the gears turning in Felix's head as he pieces everything together and cannot help but feel pleased at his envious expression.

When Felix still has not spoken, Peter says "This better be good, Felix. Can't you see that I am preoccupied at the moment?" He makes no attempt to stop the growing smirk that appears on his lips. It grows tenfold when he sees Felix's clenched fists and gritted teeth.

"A pirate ship was spotted off the northern shores." His tone was cold. Distant.

Peter rolls his eyes, his frustration rising. "You interrupted my evening to tell me that Hook and his pathetic excuse for a crew are having another pointless search on the other side of the island?"

Felix shakes his head. "Some of the crew have sailed ashore and are now scouring the Neverwoods. They are heading in the direction of the camp."

Wendy's eyes widen and she turns to Peter. "Captain Hook is _real_? Is he not dangerous?"

Peter scoffs at her naiveté and dismay. "Honestly, Wendy. You have seen deadly mermaids and walking shadows. Is it that hard to believe that there are pirates on the island, as well?"

She says nothing and he turns to Felix. "Hook is of no concern to me. Send some of the boys to scout the area and have them report back if the pirates are spotted. Do not engage-they are not worth the effort."

Felix nods. A soldier following orders from his commanding officer. His eyes glance between them for the briefest of moments, hesitating on Wendy for only a second longer before leaving quickly, the door closing behind him with a resolute click.

Peter makes a reminder in his head to punish Felix later for interrupting him and Wendy. He glances to the girl now, his arousal instantly returning at seeing her in such a disheveled state. He can feel his blood singing throughout his body and pooling between his legs, showing his need to anyone who dared to look.

She stands there, clearly uncomfortable for being discovered by Felix. She cannot even look Peter in the eye and he knows that whatever moment they had was gone. He silently curses Felix and swears that he will pay dearly for his untimely interruption.

Wendy is not sure what she should do. She was embarrassed and ashamed. How could she fall into temptation? How could she let herself be swayed so completely by just a single touch? Her parents would be appalled if they knew what she had just done. Wendy startles.

_Her parents_. She cannot remember their voices. She cannot remember their _faces_. When was the last time she even so much as spared them a passing thought? She concentrates on conjuring an image of her mother and father, but she only comes away with a faint impression of a man with a stern countenance and a woman with a kind smile. A crease forms between her eyes as she focuses deeply on what her parents' names are. John and…. Mary! She stands there, horrified with herself. She was so completely consumed by the boy standing in front of her that she has nearly forgotten her own parents.

Before she was swept away to Neverland, London was under attack. Buildings were crumbling, the streets ran thick with blood, and her once beautiful city was on fire. Wendy has no idea if her parents are even alive and well!

Peter watches the war being waged behind Wendy's eyes with mild fascination. He is grateful that he has freed himself from such ridiculous emotional attachments for this exact reason. He no longer cares what others think of his actions and behavior. He can do whatever he pleases. But as he says this inside the privacy of his own mind, something irks him. He cannot put a name to the feeling that overwhelms him, but it constricts his throat and causes his pulse to flutter. _What was that?_

So lost by his unusual reaction, he almost does not realize that Wendy is leaving his room until he hears the creak of an old wooden floorboard. He turns to her. "Where do you think you're going?"

She flinches at having been caught. Sighing, she says, "I need to see Felix. I should explain our… previous behavior."

Peter shakes his head, whilst tamping down the quickly rising fury blazing underneath his skin. "You don't need to explain anything to him. He was the one who walked in on us-and he will be punished for that. Do not feel that you owe him an explanation."

Still uncertain, Wendy bites her lip and his eyes track the movement, already imagining a million different things he could do with that mouth. That sweet, innocent mouth. But he shakes every last thought away, an idea coming to the forefront of his mind. "Would you like me to show you how to fight?"

She blinks. "Why would I need to know how to fight?"

He smirks at her, amused by her innocence. But his smile fades at his next words. "Neverland is a dangerous place, Wendy-you must know that by now-and I want to know that you can defend yourself when I am not with you."

Wendy grows silent at his words and deliberates on how she should respond. But as she looks across the room to Peter, her gaze drifts to the two faint scars across his abdomen. "Will you not always be with me?" she blurts out, her voice trembling and her need to be close to him apparent.

Peter raises his eyebrows, obviously surprised by her plea. She blushes in response and looks down at her feet, embarrassed under his intense gaze. She expects harsh laughter or a snort of derision, but what she does not expect is the silence in the room. She hesitantly raises her head to meet his eyes and she can see that flicker appear once more. It catches her breath at the appearance of such a raw emotion in his expression. She wishes Peter would show it to her more often instead of these brief flashes that disappear before she can really analyze what they mean.

"I cannot promise you that." His tone, although not unkind, is cold and indifferent and Wendy tries to push down the crushing waves of disappointment that threaten to drown her. "But," he says, and she looks up, feeling the smallest shimmer of hope. "I will kill anyone who dares to so much as come near you."

Wendy's heart lifts at his declaration. She knows she should not trust him. She should not believe anything Peter Pan says. But against her better judgement, she does. She believes what Peter said is true. He will not always be by her side, but he will do everything possible to make sure no harm comes to her.

"And if anyone lays a hand on you," she looks back up to him and a shiver runs down her spine at the deadly intent in his eyes. "I will rip out their beating heart."

Felix's words come back to her from their earlier conversation and a feeling of dread settles deep within her stomach. _He has claimed you as his._

Looking across the room at Peter, she sees his clenched fists and his cruel smile. The murderous gaze in his burning emerald eyes that promise a painful death.

She has a bad feeling about this.

* * *

Peter leads her to the edge of the Neverwoods, and if she were to squint carefully through the dense foliage, she would be able to see the dark rippling waters of the ocean where she had been dropped the first day on the island.

She sighs. What seems like so long ago, could really only have been a few days. So much has happened that she is beginning to feel the physical exhaustion seep in. But there is something exhilarating about this place. Yes, Neverland is wild and chaotic and extremely dangerous, but it is also _freedom_. She almost forgot what it felt like to have no responsibilities and expectations. It is rather exciting.

Peter interrupts her thoughts. "Here is fine."

Wendy glances around the small clearing they were standing in, completely exposed to anyone who happens to glance in their direction. She turns to him and says anxiously, "Are you sure about this, Peter? I thought Felix said the pirates were on the island."

Peter scoffs, offended. "Hook and his crew are hardly a threat." He looks to her and still sensing her unease, he smiles maliciously. "You have no need to worry, Wendy. I will gut anybody who comes near you."

Her stomach twists at the thought of Peter killing someone for her sake, but the discomfort soon fades when he begins to circle around her as though she is meek prey and he a fierce predator. He holds his gleaming dagger in one hand, a wicked smile gracing his lips. She watches him move gracefully, his steps purposeful and silent. A skilled warrior.

Before she can question what he is doing, Peter moves. It is sudden and swift, and she hardly has any time to blink before he is upon her, dagger poised right underneath her chin, a hair's breadth away from her neck. She gasps when she feels an arm encircle her waist from behind, pulling her backwards into a warm, muscular chest.

"Peter," she breathes out, all too aware of the blade at her throat. But she was not scared. Not in the slightest. She felt oddly relaxed pressed against his frame. She felt safe.

He chuckles and she can feel his breath against her neck. It sends a pleasant shiver down her spine.

"Yes, Wendy?" he asks, his arm tightening around her. He leans down to lightly brush his lips against her soft skin, fascinated by the soft gasps that escape her. He could listen to them for days and never grow tired.

She concentrates on articulating her words as he molds his lips to her skin. "H-How is this teaching me to f-fight?"

Peter stops his actions, smiling at the trembling in her voice. He steps back, letting go of her entirely and removing the blade still poised at her throat. She finds herself missing his heat. She turns and sees a smirk pulling at his lips. "You are quite right," he agrees and pulls another smaller dagger out of his jacket, handing it to her.

She hesitantly grabs the blade, wrapping her hand around the cold metal. She has never used a weapon before, she doesn't even know how to hold it correctly. Seeing her uncertainty, he covers his hands with hers, positioning her fingers until she was firmly gripping the dagger.

Wendy tries not to show how much his touch affects her. Every time his fingers brush against her arm or his hand rests at the small of her back, there is this jolt that courses throughout her entire body and sends her heart pounding.

Once Peter decides that she is positioned correctly, he steps back, sinking low into a fighting stance. He points his dagger towards her, his smile mischievous. Wendy is not sure what she is waiting for as the two stand poised in the middle of the clearing. But even if she was prepared, she would not be able to block his attack.

He moves with brutal speed and efficiency, that her eyes cannot possibly hope to track the movements. He comes at her so fast that she all she can do is close her eyes and brace herself for the pain of his strike. But it does not come.

She hears him chuckle from right beside her and hesitantly peers through her lashes to see that Peter has captured her in the exact same hold as before, his arm wrapped around her with his dagger at her throat. When he laughs again, his breath tickling her ear, she huffs in exasperation and rolls her eyes. "How is this teaching me to fight? I do not know what I am supposed to do. I am not strong or skilled like you."

She cannot see his face, but she can hear the smile in his voice, enjoying the praise. "Fighting is not always about brute strength. Battles can be won through the mind."

"I suppose so," she yields. "But what can I do when you have me trapped in your hold?"

She can feel him bring his lips to her ear and her eyes flutter at his soft skin brushing against hers. "Think. Weigh your options. Sometimes it is not about which opponent can deal the most blows, but which can deal the deadliest."

Wendy breathes deeply to calm her nerves before weighing her options like Peter said. She could slam the heel of her shoe down on one of his feet, but he said to go for the deadliest blow and that would not do much damage. She looks down to see that Peter has his arm caged around the upper half of her body, but her forearms and hands are free to move. She turns her head only slightly to see that his body is angled to the side of her, not directly behind her. Suddenly, an idea comes to Wendy's mind.

She smiles inwardly and with as much strength as she can muster, she brings her fist up and swings it downwards, right between Peter's legs. But all she hits is thin air.

She turns to see that he has disappeared, his dagger no longer at her throat and his arm no longer encircling her body. She hears a chuckle behind her and whirls around to find Peter standing in the center of the clearing, shaking his head in disbelief. "I was not expecting that. Who knew you were devious?"

An angry blush rises to her cheeks.. "I am not devious. I was simply following your instructions and I looked for the 'deadliest blow.'"

He holds up his hands. "There is no need to get defensive. It was a compliment."

"Oh," is all she can think to say as she peers beneath her lashes to look at him. Wendy sucks in a breath.

Peter is staring at her with… pride? No, she must be mistaken. But as she gazes at him, it is written clear on his face. Unabashed pride.

She ducks her head, embarrassed by the praise in his eyes. She is not accustomed to such admiration. And Peter is the one giving it to her. Her heart pounds loudly inside her chest. It is a deep, unmistakable throbbing that makes her ache. She has the sudden yearning to race across the clearing, close the distance around them, and press her lips to his.

Her blush deepens at the thought and she shakes her head. She could not do that! It would be terribly improper. But he is still looking at her with that expression on his face, bathed in the silver moonlight.

_When was the last time I did anything for myself?_ She was always caring for her brothers, obeying her parents, and following the rules of society. She cannot remember ever doing something purely because _she_ wanted to. _It is time I change that_. With a newfound determination, she begins to march across the clearing, her steps purposeful and swift.

Peter raises his eyebrows as Wendy walks towards him at a rather fast pace. Their gazes meet and the intensity he finds there is almost overwhelming. The passion and conviction in her eyes is truly something to behold and it sends his blood pumping throughout his entire body as she nears him. He can feel a force pulling him towards her. As though _she _were pulling him.

The feeling is impossible to resist and he gives into it, letting himself be moved towards the center. Only until he can see the light freckles dotting her cheeks does he stop. They share a tense silence, each one trying to communicate without the use of words the unusual emotions they were feeling. He holds his breath, sensing what is about to enfold and thanking the heavens for the astonishing girl that is Wendy Darling.

They gravitate towards each other until they are sharing the same breath. He reaches out his hand to caress her cheek, amazed by the softness of her skin, while his other rests on the small of her back, pushing her towards him until not a blade of grass could come between them. He loves the gasp that escapes past her lips at the closeness of their bodies. He leans down, eager to press those delicate lips against his own. He has been waiting for _so long. _He is done waiting.

So entranced by the beauty in front of him, Peter fails to notice Felix coming into the clearing until he hears the soft footsteps approaching them. He lets loose a growl of pure fury and frustration. He releases Wendy from his grip and whirls on his oldest friend, seething with rage. Felix, to his benefit, maintains a calm, neutral expression when facing the furious beast.

"Felix, you are my second-in-command," Peter grinds out through his gritted teeth. "But do not think that I will hesitate in cutting you down where you stand if you interrupt me again. Understand?"

Wendy stares wide-eyed between the two, seeing gritted teeth and clenched fists. She holds her breath as Felix nods, only the slightest of movements. When Peter steps back and resumes his usual arrogant demeanor and self-important smirk, she releases the breath.

"So," Peter says, his tone dripping with sarcasm. "What is the problem this time? It better be good."

"Pirates have infiltrated the camp. The Lost Boys are battling them as we speak."

Peter curses under his breath. "How the bloody hell did they find the camp?"

"I believe Tiger Lily has betrayed us," Felix says with contempt.

Peter lets loose another string of curses. "I will deal with those bloody Indians later. For now, we need to get back to camp so I can take care of the pirates. They just made a fatal mistake." He and Felix turn to make their way back towards the camp when Wendy reaches out to grab Peter's arm.

"Peter, what is going on? Tiger Lily? Indians? What is happening?" She despises the way her voice sounds panicked, but she cannot help it. Peter is about to leave her.

His eyes are stern, no longer revealing any of the emotion they held not two minutes ago. "Wendy, I need to take care of this. You will stay here. I'll be back as soon as I can."

"But maybe I could-"

"No." She startles at the severity and finality of the word. "You are staying here. I cannot have a foolish, ignorant girl stumbling around a battle that she has no place in. You cannot help."

Wendy is left stunned. Her heart feels as though it has been pierced with a dagger as she watches Peter and Felix disappear in the forest and she is left to stand alone in the clearing. She vaguely notices that the sun has begun to rise, but it does nothing to help the hollow emptiness where her heart used to be. A tear trickles down her cheek. She makes no move to wipe away the offending liquid.

She stands there for what could have been hours or minutes, Wendy does not know. What wakes her from her daze is the snapping of twigs and the padding of footsteps. Many footsteps. She whirls around to find herself confronted with almost a dozen men, all dressed in ragged clothing. Their faces were haggard and covered in dirt, each one wearing a mischievous smile that made her shiver. And all of them were armed with various swords and daggers, coated with blood.

Wendy wastes no time. She turns and runs, but she only manages to take two steps before a large, calloused hand grips her arm, spinning her back around and colliding into a large, burly chest. She looks up to see that one of the men has grabbed her and he is smiling with the few teeth he does have, his eyes travelling down the length of her body hungrily.

She immediately screams and tries to claw her arm out of his firm grip, but to no avail. The man is laughing at her struggle, along with his comrades who watch the show with mild amusement. His other hand is brushing against her body and she tries to swallow the rising bile in her throat. When he begins to drag her kicking body towards the other men who gaze at her with the same ravenous hunger, she screams. "Peter!"

She receives a reply, but not the one she was hoping for.

"Gentlemen." All movements stop and the men shift their gazes to something behind her. The large man who is gripping her arm releases her immediately and she collapses to the ground, sucking in large gulps of air through her hoarse throat. She hears the sound of heavy footsteps approaching her. When a pair of finely polished boots come into her field of vision, she lifts her head up to look at the man standing in front of her.

He is handsome, to say the least. His hair is dark and his eyes are a piercing blue. He is wearing black leather from head to toe. Her eyes trace his muscular build until they rest at his hand, or more precisely, where his hand _should_ be. His left hand is missing and replacing the appendage is a sharp, gleaming hook. Her eyes widen.

The man crouches down in front of her, bringing his hook to rest underneath her chin, forcing her to lift her head so he could examine her face closely. His blue eyes lock onto her own and she feels as though he can see right into her heart, her soul. She wants to turn her head away from such a powerful gaze, but she does not dare with his deadly hook right against her neck.

She exhales a breath when he looks to the men behind her. "We have a young lady in our midst and she deserves the utmost respect." He turns his gaze back towards hers, and a knowing smile graces his lips. "Isn't that right, Miss Wendy Darling?"

She keeps her expression neutral, not wanting to show any reaction as to how he could possibly know her name. Instead, she smiles politely and keeps her tone pleasant and amicable when she says, "You are quite right, Captain Hook. You have my sincere gratitude."

His smile widens. "I see you are not just a pretty face, Miss Darling. I have a feeling that you and I will get along quite well."

**Author's Notes: Sorry everyone, it is another cliffhanger! I hope all of you enjoyed this chapter! It was so much fun to write! Please keep reading and reviewing and thank you to everyone who has already left a review ! I love reading them! Until next time!**


	12. Chapter 12

**Author's Notes: I am finally on break and I am loving it! I have been writing nonstop ever since! This is one of the longest chapters I have ever written and I am not going to lie, I did struggle with it a bit... But I am so happy that you guys are loving this story so far! The response I got from the last chapter was AMAZING! Thank you to every one who left a review and made this story a favorite! Keep it up! I will do my best to keep posting great chapters regularly! Now on with the show!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the OUAT characters, however the story is entirely my own : )**

**Chapter 12**

"_Peter!" She turns in a circle, struggling to see anything through the dense fog. She trips on another tree root and manages to catch herself before falling yet again. "John! Michael!"_

_Wendy has been wandering in the Neverwoods for hours, but she cannot find anyone. She is tired of searching and she just wants to lie down and close her eyes. Surely a small rest could not hurt… _

_Her eyes land on a figure in the distant and she squints through the fog. She lets out a cry when she sees who it is. She would know those strong shoulders and tousled hair anywhere. She runs blindly through the forest, stumbling every few steps. But she does not care because he is right there. She yells his name again. "Peter!"_

_He does not turn around. She stops when she is only a few yards away, his back still facing her. She is gasping for breath and she wants more than anything for him to wrap her in his arms and tell her that everything will be alright. But he will not turn around._

"_Peter?" she says hesitantly. She reaches out and touches his arm and instantly retracts her hand. His skin is ice cold. _

_Wendy steps back as he slowly turns around. _

_His eyes are completely black, the color of a starless night sky. _

_He smiles._

* * *

"... arling." She stirs. "Miss Darling. I do believe it is time for you to wake up."

Her eyelids flutter open. As her vision begins to focus, she immediately knows that she has left the clearing. She is now somewhere dark and damp. She can feel the moisture in the air and can make out rock walls behind the wooden bars of a… cage?

Wendy attempts to stand, but she hits her head. She looks up to see more wooden bars above her. She reaches out and grabs one only to find that it is incredibly sturdy and firm. It will not budge. She was in a cage and it was quite small. She sits up, careful of her head, and looks around.

Now that her eyes have grown accustomed to the darkness, she can see that she is in a large cave and her cage rests on a small island in the center. She glances over the edge and swallows nervously when she sees that her narrow rock island is so high above the ground, she cannot see the bottom, only darkness.

"I am sorry about this, Miss Darling, but my crew and I would like to go home." Wendy turns her head and sees that Captain Hook and the other men are on the island as well. To her surprise, he genuinely seems apologetic. As though he truly does not want to see her harmed.

Unsure of what to say, her eyes flicker to the men around her cage and she can see that they are nervous. But of what? It seems as though they hold all the power in this situation. She cannot imagine what they could possibly be afraid of. But as she studies the men closely, she can clearly see their anxious fidgeting and darting eyes and the beads of sweat trickling down their brows.

The only one who shows no signs of worry is Captain Hook. Instead, he looks determined, his eyes staring coldly at the entrance of the cave. Wendy does the same, although she is not sure what she should be looking for. She just needs something to calm her frantic nerves as a dreadful feeling settles in the pit of her stomach. How did this happen to her? She had done what Peter said and stayed in the clearing.

As soon as the thought crosses her mind, she wishes it hadn't. The mention of his name causes a sharp pain piercing her heart. He called her a foolish and ignorant girl. He left her alone with dozens of pirates roaming the island. He did not want her.

Before she can spiral any deeper into her depression, she catches movement in the corner of her eye and turns to see Captain Hook unsheathe his sword, the rest of the men following his lead. Before she can open her mouth to ask what they are doing, the captain shouts out, "I will let the girl go. In exchange, you will provide me and my men a way off this bloody island."

Wendy glances around the cave, questioning the captain's sanity. There is no one else in that dark cavern except for her and the crooked pirates! Just as she is about to demand they release her from the pitiful cage and bring her back to the Neverwoods, she hears a faint chuckle echo throughout the cave. It is cruel and mocking-there is nothing joyful about this quiet laughter. But her heart skips a beat. She knows that sound almost as well as she knows her own name.

She begins to rapidly scan the dark, rock walls of the cave, not entirely sure what she is looking for. A glimpse of golden hair. A flash of emerald green eyes. Anything. She could feel her hopes rising as the laughter continues, only growing in pitch and volume until it resonates throughout the entire space. It is filled with such cold hatred and Wendy shivers and exhales, startled when she can see her breath leaving her mouth.

She looks to the pirates who stand packed together, shaking hands clutching swords and their eyes darting all around. Only Captain Hook remains firm, his mouth in a grim line and his face revealing no emotion. "Enough of these games," he shouts over the dark laughter. "Show yourself, Pan!"

After a few moments of bated breath, all heads turn to the sound of footsteps at the entrance of the cave. Wendy is the first to recognize the person standing at the rocky ledge, several yards away from their small island. "Peter," she calls out, but he does not so much as give her a glance in her direction. His gaze is focused entirely on the man standing beside her cage with his sword poised and ready to strike.

"It's been a long time, Killian." It takes Wendy a moment to understand that he is talking to Captain Hook who remains silent as he gives Peter a cold glare.

"I'm sorry about the hand, mate. But even you have to admit that it was quite funny when I fed it to the crocodile." Wendy's eyes widen in surprise as she looks between the captain's furious expression to Peter's amused one as he twirls his dagger between his hands.

Captain Hook jumps into action. He flings open the cage and grabs Wendy's thin wrist, yanking her out of the small prison. She freezes as she feels a cold blade press against her throat, the dangerous edge biting into her skin. She can feel something wet trickle down her neck. Blood. The sword cut her.

She flinches as she feels Captain Hook's breath against her ear, his stubble scraping against her cheek. "I wish it did not have to come to this, Wendy. But you see, this is the only way." In a voice much softer and more sincere than she had thought capable of the captain, he whispers, "I am truly sorry for your loss." Before she can question what he meant by his last statement, she is shoved forwards and brought to stand at the edge of the island, plummeting darkness looming below her, the sword still at her throat.

Captain Hook shouts across the distance. "You will give me and my men safe passage off this island or lovely Miss Darling here will be walking the plank." A few of the men chuckle behind her at the captain's words but she pays them no attention as she looks down. She cannot even see the bottom. There could be sharp rocks or a raging river below. If she were to step forward now, she would surely die.

She slowly raises her eyes, careful not to move her head, and looks across the gap to Peter standing on the other side at the entrance to the cave. He only smirks at her, seeming to enjoy her terror. Tears gather in her eyes as he begins chuckling.

How can he simply stand there and laugh as she is moments away from death? Does he not care at all whether she lives or dies? She thought that through their time together, they had formed a connection of sorts. There were moments when she had felt something. And she was so sure that he had felt it, too. But looking at him now, smiling at her looming death, her questions were answered.

He did not care for her. Did not care if she lived or died. She is merely a toy to play with until he grows bored and replaces her. An insignificant speck in his infinitely long life. Their time together is meaningless to him. She is meaningless to him. Nothing.

As Wendy stands on the precipice of her demise, she comes to one unfaltering realization. She wants to go home. She misses her mother and father. She misses the peaceful mornings of coffee and jam. The joyous afternoons of laughter and games. And what she misses more than she ever thought she could, is the nursery window. The soft, white curtains billowing in the cool night breeze and the shimmering stars winking just out of reach as she perches on the window seat, imagining what it would be like to touch one.

As the memories of her home return to her in a torrent of sweet pain and bitter sorrow, a single tear slides down her cheek. That is all she allows Peter to see. One tear. She wants him to know that he is what caused the offending liquid to mar her porcelain skin. She wants him to know that he will no longer have any control over her, that she will no longer be his pawn or toy.

Peter watches the tear trickle down her cheek with complete disinterest. Her pain is of no concern to him. He just drags his gaze away from her to the captain who still has a blade pressed against her throat. "I commend you on capturing my little bird. There are very few who are able to take something of mine without my knowledge."

He glances around the cavern for a moment. "It was quite clever of you to come to the Cave of Echoes, Killian. You know that I cannot access my power within this place." A dark, sinister smile spreads across his lips. "But I am afraid you will not be leaving Neverland. I rather enjoy the thought of tormenting you and your crew for several millennia."

Wendy gasps as the blade presses harder against her skin, another thin stream of blood sliding down her neck, painting her clothes in a dark red. A hook brushes her cheek as gently as a lover's caress. The cold metal causes a shiver to race down her spine. "Not even for Miss Darling?"

Peter's eyes flicker to hers for the briefest of moments before returning to the captain. His face expresses one of boredom. "Kill her if you want. I've already had my fun." A knowing smirk appears on his lips. "Or you can keep her for yourself. I know how much your crew… adore young girls."

A low, rumbling chuckle sounds throughout the pirates and Wendy closes her eyes and focuses on not emptying her stomach's contents in front of all of these men.

Captain Hook sighs in exasperation. "Do not play games with me, Pan. I saw you with her in the Neverwoods. Even a blind man can see that you care for Miss Darling."

Wendy wants to tell the captain that he is wasting his breath. Peter Pan does not care for her. She is nothing to him and that is all she will ever be. Which is why she is more determined than ever to return home with her brothers.

Peter laughs. The sound is cold and empty, much like his heart. "She means nothing to me." His eyes darken, the emerald green almost completely gone. "However… you took her without my consent and attacked my Lost Boys. I cannot allow these things to go unpunished."

As he continues to laugh, Wendy can see out of the corner of her eye that the captain's hook is trembling. He is scared of Peter. Of what he could do. And as she looks across the wide gap, she feels for the first time, fear. Not of the blade at her throat. Not of the chasm in front of her. But of Peter. She is afraid of Peter and the power he possesses.

She remembers the night that seems so long ago. When his eyes had glowed golden and light had poured out of his hand, disintegrating a shadow without batting an eyelash. He had done something that night that was impossible. Seeing the dark look in his eyes, she is terrified of what he could do to Captain Hook and his men who wish nothing more than to escape this island, much like herself.

"Please, Peter." She is pleading with him, begging him not to kill these men, ignoring the pain in her heart. "Spare their lives. They just want to go home." _As do I._

His cold gaze slides to her and remains there. "I'm sorry, Wendy, but they need to learn that I am king and no one goes against me-not unless they want to die."

Peter idly plays with his dagger, the threat obvious in the movement. "However, I am feeling merciful today and I will let you live, Killian. Your crew on the other hand…" Wendy can feel the blade against her neck quivering. Another thin stream of blood trickles down her skin.

Peter's eyes narrow ever so slightly, almost impossible to see in the dim light of the cave. "You have damaged my toy, consider yourself lucky that I am allowing you to walk away." Captain Hook removes the blade from Wendy's throat and steps away from her. She drops to her knees, the tension leaving her body. She gently touches her skin before raising the trembling hand to her face, swallowing nervously when she sees her fingers coated with blood. _Her _blood.

She lifts her eyes to Peter and they lock gazes. She expects mockery or disgust, but instead his expression is like nothing of this world. The absolute fury written on his face would make any man fall to his knees in fear.

Wendy quickly hides her hand behind her back, discreetly wiping off the blood on her already dirtied clothes. "I am fine, Peter. Truly. It is nothing more than a small scratch," she tries to placate him. But he is not listening to her. His eyes are fixed on the men behind her.

At first, nothing happens. Captain Hook and his crew shift nervously, their swords grasped tightly within their sweaty palms. Wendy is kneeling on the rocky floor, praying that Peter be merciful. And then, a small pebble drops to the ground right beside her knee. She stares at it curiously, wondering if someone had thrown it. And then she hears another hit the ground, and turns her head to see a pebble a few paces to the left of her. And then another. And another. And another.

Small rocks are falling around them and she can hear the alarm in the voices of the crew as they begin to notice. Wendy stands and looks up at the ceiling of the cavern, shielding her eyes with her hands. She then looks across the trench to Peter.

He does not seem to be looking at them. His eyes have lost all focus and his fists are clenched tightly together. His mouth is moving-muttering something-but no sound could be heard. Wendy hears a scream and whirls around and her heart stops.

The small island that they are standing on is beginning to tremble and quake. Cracks appear on the very ground that they stand on and the tremors are causing rock to break off from their platform. A misfortunate pirate standing on a precarious ledge cries out, alerting the other men near him as he begins to fall towards the dark abyss. The men reach out to try and catch their friend from such a tragic death, but it is too late. He is gone.

Wendy stares wide-eyed at the empty space where the man was just standing not a moment ago. All around, more and more pirates are falling from the island, there screams becoming lost in the rumbling of the cave collapsing all around them. She turns to Captain Hook.

His face has gone pale and a thin sheen of sweat lines his forehead. "Captain," she screams desperately. "Do something! Please!" But the man is not listening to her cries. His eyes stare off into the depths of space, lost within his own mind as his men die around him. Meanwhile, the island is growing smaller and smaller and more pirates are falling off. Their shrieks pierce her very soul and she cannot stand it any longer.

She looks across the growing chasm at Peter, still mumbling under his breath and his eyes unfocused. "Peter!" she shouts. She receives no response and another pirate plummets to his death. She tries again with the same result. Before she can call his name for the third time, the rock underneath her begins to quake and she loses her balance, stumbling towards the edge. She lets out a shriek and squeezes her eyes shut, bracing herself for her imminent death. But the weightless sensation of falling does not come.

A hand wraps around her waist, firmly dragging her back towards more stable ground. She looks behind her and sees a grim-faced Captain Hook. "Th-thank you," she gasps out. He does not respond to her. He releases her and looks away and she follows his gaze.

The two of them are the only ones left on the island. Every other pirate has fallen to their deaths. She looks to Peter. He is no longer mumbling under his breath and his eyes are focused on her. A small smirk appears on his lips and he glances around the cavern, his smile widening. The tremors have ceased and everything is eerily silent.

She looks from his smug smile to his knowing eyes and remembers what he had said earlier. Peter promised that he would let Captain Hook live, but made no such promise for the others. She looks around at their significantly smaller island, only the captain and herself have survived. Wendy's eyes widen at her realization.

Peter did this. He killed these men. And he is _satisfied _with it. Shock, disgust, fury and many other emotions that she cannot put a name to, crash down upon her in waves. How can he take so many lives without a moment's hesitation? How can he stand there looking pleased with himself? And how could she have ever cared for him? The disgust she feels for Peter was nothing compared to the disgust she feels for herself.

She let herself fall into his trap. Let him seduce her with searing touches and burning gazes. She had fallen for his arrogant smirks and carefree laughter and now she was paying the price. Wendy's fists clench tightly as she looks to Peter standing across the chasm where over a dozen pirates fell to their deaths. _I will not fall for his tricks ever again_, she silently vows.

She turns to the captain, still appearing to be in a state of shock. She pities him. He had lost his entire crew in the span of a few minutes and now he had no one left. Wendy holds back the tears threatening to spill from her eyes. Even though they had been her captors, the pirates did not deserve to die. She would mourn for them later, but now she needs to figure out how to cross the chasm that stands between their small island and the entrance of the cave where Peter is, looking amused at their predicament.

She glares at him quickly before asking the captain, "How do we get out of here?" She receives no reply. Captain Hook is not paying any attention to her. He stares at the rocky ledge, peering down into the abyss where his men most likely are. Dead. He shakes his head, rubbing his one hand through his disheveled hair and down his face. A chuckle escapes past his lips. The sound is hollow. Empty.

Ignoring Miss Darling, he turns to Pan. He looks upon the child that has been his enemy for the past several centuries. "You win," he concedes, his voice filled with exhaustion and resignation. "A brave man surrenders with honor."

"It's been fun playing with you, Killian. And don't worry. I will let you wallow in your own misery for a few decades before allowing you to replenish your crew." Peter's grin widens significantly, but there is no joy in the smile. Only cruelty. "And then we can start a new game."

Captain Hook closes his eyes, bracing himself for what he is about to do. He takes a deep breath and looks to Miss Darling. "I am truly sorry for your loss."

Wendy once again is puzzled by the captain's strange words, but he continues before she can ask what he means. "You are an incredibly strong and brave young lady." His eyes flicker to Peter's briefly before saying, "And you deserve so much better than what he can ever give you."

Wendy ignores the chuckling from across the chasm, her eyes focused on the grieving captain. But Captain Hook is no longer looking at her. He is staring at Pan, still laughing at the entire scene playing out before him as if it is all a game to him. He takes a step closer to the edge.

"You know nothing of this world. You, who has lived longer than any being in any realm. " He takes another step.

Peter stops chuckling, growing quiet at the captain's words. "You do not know friendship." _Step._ "Or family." _Step._ "Or love." _Step._ "And I pity you." _Step, step._

Captain Hook is now teetering on the edge, the tips of his leather boots dangling over the yawning chasm below him, promising death to all those that plunge into its abyss. His eyes are cold, his jaw is clenched. He stares defiantly into the eyes of the child that has tortured him for centuries. "And I will gladly die knowing that there is a special place reserved for you in hell."

Before Wendy can even comprehend what the captain is saying, he takes one more step, and falls over the edge, tumbling into the darkness. She lets out a cry, trying desperately to reach him, but it is too late. Captain Hook is lost to the chasm, joining his crew in death.

She stares in horror at where the man had stood not a moment ago. The silence in the cave is deafening, that is until Peter sighs in exasperation. "Well, that was rather dramatic." Wendy stares at him, ire rolling off of her in waves. "I didn't think that he would actually go and kill himself, but I suppose I can always just bring more pirates to the island." He places his hands on his hips and shakes his head. "What a waste."

Wendy can hardly believe what she is hearing. How can a person be so utterly callous and unfeeling? Captain Hook was right. Peter knows nothing of love or kindness. But she believed that he could. She convinced herself that deep within the pits of his cold heart, a small part of himself cared for her. But she has never been more wrong in her entire life.

He stood there and laughed as a sword was pressed to her throat. As a gleaming hook brushed down her cheek. As the cave walls came crumbling down around her. He laughed. Her life was nothing more than a joke to him and it took her almost dying for her to realize that.

She straightens, attempting to brush herself off. She must look like a mess with blood, dirt and goodness knows what else coating her skin right now. But she doesn't particularly care. She wants to get out of here. And she is not just referring to the cave.

"How do I get out of here? Can you fly?" Her voice is cold and unfeeling and Peter gives her a peculiar look before shrugging. "Despite being complete idiots most of the time," Wendy grits her teeth. "The pirates actually had a clever idea. This place is called the Cave of Echoes. It is the one part of Neverland where I cannot access my power."

She crosses her arms over her chest, skeptically. "Then how did they manage to place me and themselves on this island?"

He smiles. "There is only one way in and out of the Cave of Echoes. You must voice your deepest, darkest secrets and desires. Things that you have never told anyone else. Only then will a pathway be built for you to walk safely across."

"How do I know you are telling me the truth?"

Peter raises his eyebrows. "Do you not trust me?"

She hesitates only a moment before answering. "No, I don't."

The words have barely left her mouth before there is a rumbling deep within the cave. The island that she stands on begins quaking and she flings out her arms for balance. More rocks come crashing down from the cavern's roof, colliding with her small platform, making it even smaller. Another minute or so goes by before the quaking subsides and she can stand normally again.

"What," she breathes heavily, her blood pounding in her ears, "was that?"

Peter's smile widens as he glances around the dark space. "The Cave of Echoes knows when your lying. And so do I. Everytime you share something untruthful, that will happen again and again until there is nothing left of what you stand on." He gestures towards her smaller island. "So I suggest you start being honest with yourself, because it doesn't look as though you can afford many more lies."

Wendy glares at him. "Then can you at least leave so I can be done with this?"

Peter chuckles and shakes his head. "A secret stays a secret if no one is around to hear it. I'm afraid that you have to tell me your darkest hidden desires." Wendy knows he is not sorry at all. He is enjoying every moment of this.

"Fine," she says, her voice biting. She thinks for a moment. "When I was younger, there were times that I would skip going to church in favor of playing with my friends in the park." She glances around the cave, not sure what to expect. But when nothing happens after a moment, she looks to Peter, standing amused on the other side of the chasm.

"What went wrong? I shared a secret and it was the truth. Nothing is happening." Peter chuckles, shaking his head. "I told you to share your deepest, darkest secrets that you have never told anyone before. That secret was neither deep nor dark."

Wendy sighs and throws up in her hands in exasperation. "I don't know what I am supposed to say! I have no 'deep and dark secrets.'" The answer she receives is a low rumbling and a small quaking of the rock underneath her. Peter raises an eyebrow and glances around before looking to her. "I think you do." He takes a step closer to the edge. "So tell me Wendy, what are you hiding in that innocent heart of yours? What plays inside your dreams every night? What are your darkest desires?"

She hesitates. She knows what she needs to say. They are the very thoughts that have eaten away at her ever since she came to Neverland. The feelings that she refused to acknowledge. The desires she denied existing. But the thought of having to voice them in front of _him_, it was mortifying.

Wendy sighs and clenches her fists. This is the only way she can get out of the cave. She just has to say it quickly and then she can leave. Before she can think better of it, the words fly out of her mouth in a single breath. "I want to go home."

She avoids Peter's narrowed eyes as a rumbling echoes throughout the cave. At first, she thinks that it is another quaking and is about to protest that she told the truth when something strange happens. A small rock platform seems to grow from the edge of the small island she stands on. It is only a couple of feet long and she hesitantly taps her foot against the rock, testing its stability. When she deems it is safe enough, Wendy steps onto the platform, standing above the chasm. She wills herself not to look down.

She frowns when she sees the long distance she still has to go. _How many secrets do I have to share? _She sucks in another breath. "I want to go home," she repeats. "...But not because I want to grow up…."

Nothing happens and she bites her lip. She was hoping that that would be enough. Apparently not.

"Why do you want to leave?" She raises her head and looks at Peter. A sharp pain pierces her heart. The disappointment in his eyes squeezes her throat until she can barely breathe. He looks genuinely saddened by the thought of her leaving. But the look is gone again, replaced with anger.

Her fists clench by her sides. "Because… because I am afraid."

"Of what?" He demands, his tone incredulous.

"You!" The word flies out of her mouth and Peter's eyes flash with pain before returning to their cold fury. It was so sudden, but she knows that she hurt him in the only way she can. Another foot or so of the rock ledge has appeared and she takes another step closer to Peter.

"I am afraid of what you can do. Of what you have done. You hurt others with no reason. You kill effortlessly with no remorse. You do not know compassion or kindness, only cruelty. And I feel sorry for you." With every word she utters, more and more of the rock path forms and she continues to walk closer and closer to Peter, her eyes never leaving his. She knows she is hurting him. She can see it in his eyes.

"Please, go on. Tell me what else you find repulsive about me." His tone is biting, but she can hear the pain behind it. Can see it in the crinkling of his brow. In the clenching of his hands.

"You are arrogant, prideful, compulsive, reckless, and you cannot control your own emotions. I am afraid of the darkness that I see inside of you and I am afraid that one day you will be completely consumed by it."

Peter scoffs at her last remark and rolls his eyes. "Is there anything else you want to say? Because I-"

She cuts him off. "But mostly, I am afraid of myself."

Several feet of rock forms in front of her, but she remains where she is. Peter has grown silent. He stares at her with an intensity that forces her to take a deep breath before continuing. "... I am afraid of who I am becoming. You are… _the most horrible person I have ever met_ and yet…" She looks deep into his eyes, willing him to understand without having her to say the words aloud. She is not sure she can voice such depraved things.

But he has never made things easy for her. He stares expectantly at her, daring her to finish. She clasps her fidgeting hands tightly in front of her. "I can't help the way my heart skips when you smile at me. Or the way my breath stops when you touch me… "

Wendy battles with herself on how much more she should reveal. The rock platform has stopped growing and now she is about halfway across the chasm. She is not sure how much she can say before she breaks down and tells him her darkest secret that resides in the deepest recesses of her heart. The very thing that she has suspected all along, but denied ever existing. Because if she did acknowledge the existence of it, she knows that her resolve to leave Neverland would be dust in the wind. And Wendy knows that she must get her and her brothers back to London. To their parents. But it just might be the hardest thing she has ever had to do.

She looks to Peter who has kept silent. His face reveals absolutely nothing. She cannot decipher what he is feeling in that moment. _Probably revulsion at my sentiments_, Wendy thinks, but she forces herself to keep going. "... I want to go home because I am afraid of what will happen if I stay. I am afraid of what I feel when I'm with you. Of what I want… when I'm with you."

Several feet have grown on the rock platform, but she still has a ways to go. "I-I can't, Peter," she cries out. "I can't say anything more." She pleads desperately for him to do something. _Anything._ She has one more secret, but she cannot give it to him. Not yet. Not in this way.

Peter says nothing. There is no emotion in his eyes, no hint of what he feels. He takes a careful step, coming to stand right before the edge that overlooks the dark abyss. He looks down at his dagger as he plays with it mindlessly. Without any preamble, he says, "I remember my old life. Before Neverland."

Wendy stares questioningly at him, but then a rumble resounds throughout the cave. A rock ledge forms in front of him and he steps onto it. Moving towards her. "None of the Lost Boys remember, but I do. My father was the King of the Fae while my mother was an ordinary human. She died giving birth to me and my father followed soon after. I guess he was heartbroken with her death." Wendy gasps, both at the revelation and his tragic past. Peter merely shrugs.

"I stayed with the fae until the day they told me to leave."

"Why," she whispers.

He raises an eyebrow. "Well, if you happen to see one, you can ask them yourself."

Wendy remains silent, mulling over everything she has just heard. His father was the _King of the Fae._ It explains how Peter is so powerful. But, if his father died, than that would mean that Peter is… she glances at him. He does not seem to care that he is next in line for the throne. He would much rather be self-imposed King of Neverland than true king of the people who cast him off.

Peter continues, his voice bitter. "Everyone I care about leaves me, one way or another. Since the day I was born." He looks to her, his eyes cold. "I guess nothing has changed."

Her stomach twists painfully. "Peter, I-"

He cuts her off before she can offer some explanation for her wanting to leave. "I don't want you to go."

She sucks in a breath at his confession as the last rock forms, merging their two bridges together. They stand still, neither daring to move. The atmosphere around them is charged with something that Wendy cannot put a name to. She bites her lip, unsure of what to do.

"I want you to stay." She can see the flickering hope in Peter's eyes as he speaks and it pains her to know that she will have to be the one to snuff it out.

"Is that all you want?"

She can see his confusion at her question. His brow scrunches together and his fists clench tightly. A plethora of emotions rage across his features, each one battling a war within his own mind. She desperately wants to reach out and grasp his hand. To run her palms down his shoulders to ease the tension in his body. But this thing between them is too delicate. Too fragile. She is afraid that the slightest movement on her part will cause it to break. So she waits patiently for him to answer.

"... I-I don't…" His voice is raw with emotion and she can see the conflict behind his eyes. She does not need to think about what she is about to do. Her body moves of its own accord. Towards him. Before he has time to react, she throws herself onto him, wrapping her arms fiercely around him, clutching him to her.

She can feel Peter tense beneath her and briefly wonders if he has ever been hugged properly before. She burrows her head into his shoulder, inhaling his scent deeply. Evergreen. She has grown accustomed to his smell and it comforts her more than it should. Her heart is pounding frantically as she presses against his rigid body and she swears she can hear his breathing quicken.

The two stay like that quietly for several minutes in the darkness of the cave, standing over an endless abyss. When she feels arms slowly wrap around her smaller frame, she smiles.

**Author's Notes: What an emotional rollecoaster! I want to start off with thanking everyone who left a review and favorited my story! The support has been incredible so far and I am pleased to say that I have hit the halfway point with this story! **

**I am sorry to everyone who is a Captain Hook fan, but fear not! He might be making a reappearance! I hope you guys all enjoyed this chapter, it was one of the hardest ones I had to write! Let me know what you guys think about the story so far! Your reviews really push me to make this story the best it possibly can! Keep reading and reviewing! I will try and post another chapter before the New Year (hopefully)! Until next time!**


	13. Chapter 13

**Author's Notes: I am sooo sorry for the long wait! Truth be told, I had some difficulties writing this chapter. I couldn't quite get it the way I imagined it in my head, but I couldn't leave you guys hanging any longer so I went ahead and posted this chapter. Please let me know what you guys think about this chapter and I hope you enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the OUAT characters, however the plot is entirely my own : )**

**Chapter 13**

He is lost. Utterly and completely lost. The past few hours have sent him soaring high through the skies only to have him crashing to the ground the next moment. And he is left disoriented and confused. A torrent of emotions that he can not hope to put names to. Something in him has changed and it is quite clear to him that the reason behind his bewilderment is the girl walking beside him.

He had left her in that clearing for her own safety. Although the pirates posed no threat to him or his Lost Boys, she had no training or skill in combat. If she were to attempt to fight the pirates, it would only end in her being captured or killed. That was something he could not have. He knows he was harsh with her. He knows he had hurt her. But it was necessary. She needed to stay as far away from the pirates as possible and at the time, he thought that that was exactly what he was doing. He should have known better.

He had underestimated the pirate's intelligence. When he arrived at the camp, Felix trailing after him, he immediately knew something was wrong. Only about half of the pirate crew was there fighting his Lost Boys. And Hook was not one of them. He would never miss an opportunity to capture Peter. He turned to Felix. "Where is he?" he demanded.

Felix shrugged, uncaring. "Probably still on the ship, waiting for you to be brought to him." But Peter shook his head. "No. He wouldn't leave these spineless fools the task of capturing me. He would do it himself." Peter glanced around, an idea dawning on him. "Hook is on the island." An inexplicable feeling of dread twisted his insides until he could barely breathe. He had left Wendy alone. Completely defenseless.

He darted through the forest, blindly scrambling over upturned roots and through gnarled branches to get to the clearing. To get to her. The few minutes it took to reach the open area were painful, but the mere seconds it took to realize that his Wendy had been taken were complete agony.

He closed his eyes and tried to sense her presence, coming up empty. He couldn't feel her anywhere. He ran his fingers through his hair, frantically, his eyes crazed as he looked for any signs of where the pirates had taken her. He noticed the marks in the dirt and the snapped twigs. Signs of a struggle. She had been dragged away. His precious Wendy carried away like some savage beast.

His hands clenched into fists as he followed the tracks through the forest. He had a sneaking suspicion where the pirates would take her and his thoughts were confirmed when the trail stopped at the entrance of a dark cavern. The Cave of Echoes. Of course they would pick the one place on Neverland where I cannot access my powers, he thought bitterly to himself.

Taking a deep breath, he wiped all emotion from his face, burying all of the rage and possession and longing that plagued him so that no one would be able to see such troublesome emotions. After a few moments, he felt a cruel smirk pull at his lips.

He stepped into the darkness of the cave, chuckling.

* * *

Beside him now, he examines her disheveled golden hair. Her red-rimmed eyes. Her tear-stained cheeks. Peter comes to the startling conclusion that she is beautiful and the realization hits him hard, as though he were walking into a solid brick wall. He knew she was considered "pretty" in the conventional sense, but looking at her now, he can see for the first time that she is truly beautiful.

Perhaps sensing his intense gaze, her eyes dart to his and he immediately looks away, pretending to admire the afternoon sunlight flickering through the canopy above them. By now, the Lost Boys must have taken care of the pirates at the camp and sent them back to their ship, tails between their legs. He sighs internally. They will have to relocate again now that the pirates know about their current hideout. But he does not have to worry about that just yet. They will not try anything for awhile after this complete failure.

He and Wendy walk in tense silence, neither wanting to acknowledge what was exchanged between them in the Cave of Echoes. Before Peter can attempt to make conversation, needing something to fill this infuriating silence, he hears a low rumbling next to him. They both stop and glance down at the sound emanating from Wendy's stomach.

He smiles at the deep blush that paints her cheeks, as she hesitantly looks up at him. He raises an eyebrow, amused at her obvious embarrassment, but finding it endearing all the same. Peter does not say anything, he simply changes directions, leading her deeper into the Neverwoods. Wendy, still unfamiliar with the land, follows him silently, oblivious to the deviation in their path.

Peter leads her through the forest, helping her traverse the difficult terrain. When he grabs her hand to assist her in stepping over an upturned root, his heart races as a fiery sensation sends all of his nerves ablaze. When she releases his hand and gives him a small, timid smile, he feels an overwhelming urge to grab her again. He wants to feel her soft skin as their fingers intertwine. He wants to trace meaningless patterns with his thumb on the back of her hand. He wants her to smile at him every day just so he can feel that warmth pulse through his body again and again.

He shakes his head at these overwhelming and unbidden thoughts that continue to rise in his mind. What is wrong with him? He has lived for over a millenia, most of which was spent in solitude on this island. Never once has he been plagued with such… emotions. Sure, there were times when he felt the need to fulfill his sexual desires, but those were rare over the centuries. And he certainly did not feel any attachment to the girls that he brought here. Once satisfied, he would send them home, erasing any memory of what had taken place. They would only think the whole encounter was a strange dream. He did not dwell on the girls he lured into his bed, nor could he conjure any faces or names. So Peter does not understand why this one is so different.

Yes, she saved his life, and he is grateful for that, but it is more than just gratitude he feels. He admires her strength and her defiant nature. He finds her diffidence endearing. He loves her laugh and the way she smiles. And the sensation he receives when they touch is easily becoming his favorite feeling in the world. His heart pounds just thinking about it.

Peter knows what this emotion is. He has heard enough tales and read enough stories to know, but he refuses to acknowledge or speak it-even within the confines of his own head because the thought is ridiculous. He is Peter Pan, King of Neverland! He is one of the oldest beings in existence and he is not going to let mere sentiment impede upon his plans. He will shut it out, pretend it never existed, and carry out his plans. He will live forever. And nothing is going to stop him.

Having strengthened his resolve, Peter resists the urge to lend Wendy his hand when another tree root blocks the path and pretends to ignore her small frown at his disregard for her safety. Walking onwards, he smiles when he sees what he has been looking for and turns around. "Close your eyes," he orders. She crosses her arms defensively and asks, "What for?"

He raises his eyebrows, amused at her resistance. "Don't you trust me?"

Wendy's cheeks turn a deep crimson at the memory of everything she had revealed in the Cave of Echoes, her trust in him being one of the revelations. She does not respond and instead sighs dramatically, while still closing her eyes.

Peter grins in spite of himself and turns to search. Wendy can hear the rustling of branches and the faint sounds of footsteps nearing her. At first, she has a dreadful thought that the pirates had returned to take her, but then she sadly remembers that most of them were killed. It is highly unlikely that they would be foolish enough to attempt to capture her again.

Before she can sink too deeply into such depressing thoughts, she feels a warm hand on her shoulder while another rests on her lower back. Wendy tries and fails to hide the gasp at the jolt she feels from his touch.

Peter gently pushes her forwards and she walks slowly and hesitantly with him guiding her. When the next step she takes is against solid rock instead of the soft earth of the forest floor, she pauses and frowns. She feels Peter brush a stray strand of hair off of her cheek and tuck it behind her ear while whispering, "Open your eyes." Wendy most definitely should not be enjoying the way his breath tickles her neck and sends pleasant shivers down her spine, but she opens her eyes regardless and gasps.

They are standing in a cave. Water trickles out from the cavern walls and flows quietly into a small pool nestled in the back of the space. Wendy briefly wonders where the source of the water is coming from, but all thoughts leave her head at the most breathtaking scene she has ever witnessed.

Dangling from the low roof of the cave are luminescent flowers. Their smooth, silky petals glow an array of blues and greens and whites, casting the dark space in a soft light. In the center of each flower is a nectar of sorts that also glows. It drips from the roof of the cave into the small pool, sending ripples of light into the water from its luminescent qualities.

Wendy stares in awe at the amazing flowers, wishing that she could pick one, but they are too high for her to reach. So she only stands and admires their beauty from a distance, until one of the flowers hanging above her head drips onto her cheek. She gasps at the surprising warmth of the liquid. She touches her cheek and pulls away to find her fingers bathed in a soft white light. Her mouth opens in astonishment.

Peter chuckles at her reaction, walking up to her and swiping his hand across her cheek to show her his own fingers, now glowing as well. She watches in rapt attention as his tongue seductively licks the nectar on his hand and disappears back into his mouth. She is momentarily disappointed until he gestures at her to do the same.

Wendy brings her fingers to her mouth, hesitantly licking a small amount of the liquid. She immediately feels a warmth in her belly, chasing away some of the ravenous hunger and relaxing her entire body. Her eyebrows raise in surprise.

"I found this cave long ago. On one of my first nights in Neverland," Peter explains. "I have searched the entire island and this is the only place where these flowers grow."

She glances around. "What are they?"

Peter shrugs. "Not sure. But the nectar that they produce can satiate any hunger."

Wendy doesn't respond. She only watches in wonder as another droplet of nectar lands in the small pool, causing the waters to glow.

"You are the only person who knows about this place."

She whirls around. "What?"

Peter is not looking at her. His eyes are staring far off into the distance, lost in his own world. "You are the first person I have ever brought here."

Wendy is not sure what she should say. Every time he reveals something to her, he pushes her away, immediately denying that anything ever happened. She does not want him to push her away.

They stand in silence, surrounded by sweet nectar, trickling waterfalls and luminescent flowers. The sound of rustling fabric breaks the silence and her eyes widen in alarm when she sees that Peter is removing his shirt, revealing his defined muscles and golden skin to her ravenous eyes. When his hands move to his trousers, she lets out a small squeak and turns away, clapping her hands over her eyes.

"What are you doing?" she gasps.

She can hear Peter chuckling behind her. "Relax, Wendy. I still have my undershorts on." A pause and then, "Unless you want me to take those off, too." She can hear the suggestive tone in his voice and for a moment, briefly lets her mind wander to the possibilities. But she shakes her head to ward off those tantalizing images.

Once her cheeks have cooled down, she hesitantly peers from behind her fingers. Peter is in the small pool, the water lapping at his shoulders and hiding the rest of his body from view. He is smiling at her in amusement and raises an eyebrow. "Aren't you coming in?"

She bites her lip and his eyes catch the movement. He stares expectantly at her and before she can think better, she begins to unbutton her shirt. Unlike when she went swimming with Felix what felt like ages ago, Peter does not turn around to offer her privacy. He watches her with an intensity that causes her heart to pound rapidly in her chest. Every new inch of skin that she exposes, Peter traces with his eyes, mapping and committing it to memory until she stands in nothing but her underthings.

She crosses her arms over her bare stomach, feeling utterly exposed to his hungry gaze. She shuffles to the edge of the pool and hesitantly dips her toe in the water, finding it surprisingly warm. She slowly slides into the pool, conscious of Peter's eyes on her body the entire time. When the water reaches her shoulders and she still has yet to touch the bottom of the pool, she realizes too late that she cannot stand. Before she can begin to tread water, she feels an arm slide around her waist, pulling her tightly against a strong and muscular body.

She gasps as her chest becomes flush with Peter's. On instinct, her hands reach out and grasp his shoulders as she lifts her head to look into his eyes. The unrestrained lust she finds there causes a dull pulsing between her legs and she presses her thighs together to relieve some of the building pressure, but it isn't enough. She wants… more.

"Peter, I…" She is not sure how to express what she feels. What she has felt for several days now, but has been too afraid to admit.

His arms tighten around her and she gasps at the sensation of his skin against hers. Every place their bodies touch has electricity coursing through her veins and she has no idea what to do with this connection between them. She does not even know if he feels the same thing when they touch, but she has to believe that it is not just her who feels this energy between them.

They now share the same breath, their heads growing closer until she can see the golden flecks in his emerald eyes. She knows what is about to happen. Twice they have come close to the very thing that she has been wishing for, only to be interrupted and her left unsatisfied. She wanted this desperately, had dreamed about this for so long. But now, as she sees Peter leaning down to claim her lips, she blurts out something that she immediately regrets. "Do you care for me?"

Peter pulls back and frowns at her, his arms loosening from around her waist, their chests no longer touching. She misses the warmth of his body, suddenly feeling cold from its absence.

"I know it's a silly question, but-I just…" She is not sure how to continue. All Wendy knows is that she has just ruined the fragile moment between them and there is no way to get it back. She made sure of that with her ridiculous question.

Peter pulls away from her completely. She should shut her mouth, tell him to forget the entire thing, but of course she does neither, her mouth still betraying her brain. "I know that you don't care about other people." Somebody please stop her now. "But I just thought that maybe you do care for me because when we were in the Cave of Echoes you said that you didn't want me to leave and I know that you also said I was nothing to you but you were just fooling the pirates so they would let me go and-" She stops before she can say anything else and Wendy silently scolds herself at her ridiculous rambling.

She hesitantly looks at Peter, his face completely void of emotion as he stares emptily at a spot behind her. She twists her hands nervously under the water as more time passes and he remains silent. She is about to ask if he is alright when Peter begins chuckling. Wendy is not sure what she should do as his boisterous laughter echoes around the small cave. When he calms down after several uncomfortable minutes, he says, completely unfeeling and cold, "You actually believed I cared about you?"

At his words, devoid of any and all emotion, she can feel her heart cleave in two. "That was all an act, Wendy. I could never care about someone who is as ignorant and naive as you. You don't know anything, do you?" Peter chuckles and shakes his head. "You really are such a foolish little girl."

It feels as though every word that leaves his mouth, takes another part of her with it, until she is left with only scattered dreams and crushed hopes. Peter is right. She really is foolish to believe that he would ever care for anyone other than himself. She is nothing more than a pawn in his game and she played her part perfectly.

She feels hollow, as though everything that made her who she is has been scraped away until she is only a shell crafted out of rage and frustration. She does not deserve this. Captain Hook was right when he said that she deserved much better than what Peter could ever give her. If only she had listened to him sooner, she might have been able to spare herself from this agonizing pain that threatened to claw its way out of her throat.

As Wendy sits there in the small pool, a burning hatred towards Peter begins to consume her every thought. She wants to make him feel the pain that she feels, even if only a minute or so. She wants him to suffer.

Peter continues to laugh and joke of her ignorance and foolishness, but she is no longer focusing on him. She turns and steps out of the water, grabbing her clothes and covering herself, uncaring that she is still wet from the pool and that her clothes will get damp. She does not care if she has to walk back to camp cold and shivering. Anything will feel better than this pain and anger.

As she is about to leave the cave, Peter demands, "Where do you think you are going?"

Wendy does not turn around. She does not want to give him the satisfaction of seeing tears collect in her eyes. "Back to the camp."

"Why? I thought we were having fun. I thought you liked to swim." She can hear the mocking in his tone. Wendy grits her teeth and clenches her fists, resisting every cell in her body that is telling her to scream and shout at him until she cannot breathe. Instead, she says with no small amount of satisfaction, "I do like to swim, which is why I think I'll ask Rufio if he would like to accompany me." She would never ask that boy to swim with her. She has seen the way that he looks at her body with a ravenous hunger. But she wants to make Peter feel something, so she says what she knows will anger him.

"Or… maybe I will ask Felix. We never did get to finish our swim the other day and I was so hoping that he would teach me more. He has quite a talented mouth." She places a finger to her lips. "Hmm… I wonder what other talents he has."

She knows she is exaggerating to epic proportions, but she is not lying. Wendy does wonder what else there is beyond kissing. She is not naive in the pleasures to be had between a man and a woman. She is sixteen after all. Her mother made sure she knows what to expect when she takes a husband, but she made it sound as though it were a duty, nothing more. Wendy wants to know what it would be like when it is solely for pleasure. And she wants Peter to be the one to show it to her. But he does not need to know that.

"Well… I suppose I will see you later. Please do me a favor and use one of your other Lost Boys to do your bidding for the next few hours. I suspect that Felix will be otherwise occupied." She has not even taken a single step out of the cave before she feels a hand grip her wrist and tug hard, her entire body spinning around. She slams hard into a warm and solid chest. She places her hands on his feverish skin to push them apart, but she makes little progress. He keeps his grip almost bruising on her as anger radiates off of him in waves.

She returns his glare with one of her own as she continues to shove and kick, anything to release him of her. He grabs her other wrist and begins to turn her around and push her backwards until she is pressed against the cavern wall. His chest is pressed against hers, demanding and insistent. He pins her hands on either side of her head and leans in, his still dripping body soaking her clothes. "What," his hot breath coating her face, "did you and Felix do exactly?" His words are venomous. Quiet. Lethal.

Wendy knows she should back down and beg for forgiveness. But what comes out of her mouth is not an apology. "We kissed." She practically spits the words in his face and she takes great pleasure in seeing his expression twist in pure, unadulterated rage. His emerald eyes turn obsidian.

"You would rather kiss him than me?" She stares at him incredulously. "Yes," she exclaims. "You don't care whether I live or die. I am nothing more than a toy for you to play with until you get bored. I am sick of it. Felix is kind and gentle and honest. He does not manipulate people or use them to get what he wants! You are nothing more than a spoiled child playing at king!" Her voice rises with every word, until she is screaming in his face. All the anger and frustration from the past several days pouring out of her. It feels good.

"I am not a child. I am a king."

"Then starting acting like one!" she cries out. Tears are streaming down her face. She can no longer hold them in anymore. "Kings are fair and kind. They grant mercy. They do not go around killing people who anger them!" They both know that she is referring to the pirates, whose blood still stains Peter's hands.

She is still crying and gasping for breath as he stares at the tears running down her cheeks. "Is that what you want," he whispers. "For me to be fair and kind. To grant mercy?"

She looks at him through the tears, her lower lip trembling. "I want many things. None of which you can give me."

Peter scowls. "But Felix can, right?" His words and tone are meant to hurt her, but she can no longer find the energy to care. She is exhausted, both physically and emotionally. She wishes to be in a soft, warm bed, sleeping dreamlessly for hours until the sun rises and this horrible day can finally end.

She sighs. "Yes. Felix can love me. Something you will never understand." Peter releases his grip on her and she steps away from him, relieved that he is no longer pressed against her. She walks to the entrance of the cave, Peter still frozen in place behind her. As she makes to leave she hears him say, "I can learn."

She whirls back around, exasperated. He has the audacity to say that he can learn to love after what he said to me in the pool? She narrows her eyes and crosses her arms over her chest, indignant. "Prove it."

"How am I supposed to do that?"

She shrugs, enjoying the feeling of finally being the one in control. "I don't particularly care. But if you can't prove to me that you can love, I am leaving to go find Felix."

Peter grits his teeth, his fists clenching. "It was my lie in the Cave of Echoes," he blurts out.

"What?" She has no idea what he is talking about.

"It was my lie in the Cave of Echoes," Peter repeats. "It was me who caused the cave to fall apart."

"What are you talking about?"

"I am the one who lied!" Peter yells. "When I said that you meant nothing to me. When I acted like I didn't care. It was all a lie! What do you think caused the cave to collapse?"

Wendy's brow scrunched in confusion. "But, I thought you were doing that with your power..."

Peter shakes his head. "I told you, I don't have access to my power in that place. Not much of it anyway," he revised.

"But I saw you mumbling under your breath. What were you doing then?"

Peter glares at her. "It was my feeble attempt to use what little power I did have to stop the cave from completely collapsing with you still inside it. I saved your life." She hears him mumble something under his breath that sounded like "much good it did me", but she chooses to ignore it. "So when you said that I meant nothing to you…"

"It was a lie."

Wendy raises an eyebrow. "So... you do care about me?" She tries not to let the hope creep into her voice, but she cannot help it. He was_ lying_.

Peter does not answer her and she grows frustrated. If he cannot say it then… "I wonder where Felix is right now?"

She turns to leave, but he grabs her shoulder and whirls her around. She rolls her eyes and sighs, exasperated. "Pet-" But before she can even finish saying his name, she is cut off by his lips crashing against hers.

**Author's Notes: Another cliffhanger! I'm sorry I keep doing this to you guys, but they are just too much fun! As I am sure you all could guess, the next chapter is going to be a bit more intense, so read at your own caution! As always, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter and please let me know what you think! I enjoy reading your reviews! Thank you to everyone who has read up to this point! I appreciate it so much! Until next time!**


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